Project:RE
by Mama Bunny
Summary: When a heroine took her life, her soul was reborn in a world where she was given everything she ever wanted - a real family, a normal life, friends. This world starts to come down when her past trauma begins to manifest in this new world. Is this a new life at all, or is this some alternate reality?
1. Prologue: Rebirth

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Prologue_

 _Rebirth_

Not very long after Canti's life was extinguished did the mother of the entire Final Fantasy multiverse cry out in despair. Cosmos sat upon her simple throne, clad in her pure white dress, wearing a crown much like the shimmering sun, in tears. The Goddess of Harmony wailed so loudly that every eidolon through every realm ceased what they were doing and looked to the direction of their heavenly matriarch in worry. She shook her head in disbelief. How could a soul of purity be wiped out like this? How could it have been allowed? She put her hands together, calling forth a single speck of light between her palms.

"You changed the lives of those around you," she said to the light she held. "You healed hearts… you defeated evil…" Cosmos stood up, and all of the Eidolons across space-time immediately felt the shift in their mother's presence. "…you struggled, and yet… no one remembers you anymore." She turned her eyes up, staring straight into a crystal larger than any other in all of existence. "I will not give your soul back to the Great Crystal. You are far too valuable to let fade away."

When Cosmos raised her left arm to her chest level while holding the tiny flicker of light in her right hand, a stream of energy flowed before her. Inside were pictures of a lifetime, full of people and events. One by one, they came undone, and the goddess was unsatisfied with what she found. She picked faces out, she moved a few things around. Some things had to be taken out entirely. She found a few very important things and decided to make these the basis around her new life.

"An adoption certificate, a pendant from a magical land, a stuffed bunny from a carnival, and a beautiful lance made of shimmering gold…" Cosmos said gently. "…yes. The core of who you are is still here, even if things have changed immensely."

The Goddess then called upon one of her children specifically to step forth. The Eidolon, Leviathan. He bowed before her to convey the utmost respect before he approached her.

"Take this child to your realm," Cosmos commanded. "Your realm exists far beyond the flow of normal time, where only those you take with you can reach. This way, none of those who have been taken from her memory may ever find her again."

"Heavenly Mother, you know that those who live within my realm are not keepers, as she has been," Leviathan said. "What would you have her do?"

"Undergo training," Cosmos said, letting the spark go just enough to allow her bright magic to help the spark take physical form. "One day, we will need her to fight against the terror that is the Ardent. While hidden deep within many layers of reality, she cannot be found by keepers or Ardent monsters alike."

The figure that formed was that of a ten year old girl with short curly blue hair and skin as pale as full moonlight. At either side of her face hung two little braids that were both longer than the rest of her hair. She wore just a simple white gown. Once her body was done forming, she started to fall over until Leviathan caught her.

"You will take her to her adopted father," Cosmos commanded. "And the rest of it will be up to you. See to her training in all areas."

"Yes, Heavenly Mother," Leviathan nodded. "I will see to her every need."

"Thank you, my son," she said, smiling warmly. "Be on your way."

Leviathan bowed again, carrying the child in his arms as he left. He remembered this girl and how she grew up within the Royal Archives. Here he was charged in making sure her childhood was a good one, so she would not fall prey to the forces of darkness once again. She had to grow strong, stronger than she ever was before, if she was ever going to stand up to that same force. He hoped he had it in him to raise her as the multiverse needed.

Cosmos sat back down on her throne, looking back up at the Great Crystal. "The source of all life, the source of all time and space," she said, "Bless the child born with your light."


	2. Chapter 1: Reprogramming

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Two_

 _Reprogrammed_

Leviathan had the girl who had yet to awaken in a very large, comfy bed. In the same room were five towering crystals, each holding one legendary hero from within the Realms of Fantasy in a stasis. Frozen in time and memory. All of the crystals were connected to a control apparatus in the center of the room. The Eidolon spent a moment to look at those inside, reflecting on who they used to be and not knowing how different they would become because of this decision. He keyed in a few things on the control panel.

There was a knock on the door. "You asked to see me, Professor?" a girl stood there in the doorway, not even entering.

"Mm," Leviathan said quietly, flipping a few switches on the panel. "Are you sure you will be all right with this? I mean, knowing your connection to Kain."

"I don't mind. Kain was just like the rest of them when it happened. Dazed and confused, wandering around having no real clue of who they were," the girl replied. "He had a deeper connection to this… this girl, who _ever_ she was, than even to me. He needs her just as much as she needs him, sir."

"Thank you for your sacrifice, Sakinah," Leviathan said, turning to face the sandy-haired woman wearing a ranger's tunic. She had a folded boomerang hanging from her belt and a baby wyvern perched on her left shoulder, with it's tail wrapped around her neck. "All you had done to reunite with your love…"

"I have the monsters, professor, I don't need any man," Sakinah said sternly. "When you send him away to be with her, I only request that you clear my memory of him."

"He saved your life, if I'm not mistaken."

"It doesn't matter anymore," she said, turning away. "I'm not from the Fourth Realm any longer, I'm an Archivist. I was supposed to have all of that cleared anyway, wasn't I? Do me a favor and actually do your job this time." Sakinah left his presence, doing all she could to hide exactly how she felt from him. She was gone, faded away from this place as quickly as she could manage.

Leviathan sighed. He flicked the long braids of scales that hung in front of his face out of the way before turning his sights on the control panel again. There was a touch screen set up, and it was very similar to what Cosmos had used her magic to do with Canti's mind. Each of the heroes within the crystals had a different file for him to completely reconstruct to suit the life he would have them live within his realm.

"All right, first thing's first, the most important part of this procedure," Leviathan said, bringing up the file for Cid Highwind. "You, sir, are the one I have to get right…" he thought aloud. "…you are her Papa, right?" He clicked around, deleting most of his history. Cid was a trained pilot and a skilled mechanic, and a master of fighting in the dragoon style that was the point of his namesake. Those things, he kept. Cid's history with the scientist Shera, his deceased toddler, his rivalry with Palmer Shinra in school, his role as mayor of Rocket Town, and being the party member to help Cloud Strife's journey to save Gaia was all deleted. He was still a gruff, grizzled old man on the outside, but now, he was trained to be a pilot, mechanic, and even dragoon living in Leviathan's realm as one of the chosen Warriors of the Water - Leviathan's own personal defenders, and of course, Canti's adopted father from the day she turned nine. "Cid. There you are."

Leviathan hit one button on the control panel that sent signals through the base of the crystal that Cid was suspended in. Lights flashed underneath it, and magic swirled through the rock to seep into Cid himself. That was one memory reconstructed. He sighed, reaching over to take a sip of his coffee cup, which was much colder than he remembered it being a bit ago, and opened up the next file. This was going to be a long night.

He thumbed through multiple pages of history for Oerba Dia Vanille and cleared them all. No longer a l'Cie who had been revived from crystal stasis in her homeworld before. His rewrite for her was easy enough. Someone to be a fun best friend for Canti at school, to encourage her to be socially active and keep the magic of friendship alive within her. Leviathan didn't seem that concerned about making her perfect, and he didn't even know if Vanille would even keep the bond with Canti that she had in their previous life together. The process seemed much quicker with Vanille - turning her from a Pulse l'Cie into a hyperactive yet prodigal magical student for the boarding school. He dialed back her internal clock so she could be in the same graduating class as Canti, sending her back to being ten years old.

Then, it came time for Ffamran Mid Bunansa, nicknamed Balthier, the resident dashing sky pirate from the Twelfth Realm that many a fangirl swooned over. Leviathan couldn't change that part about him, he would always be good looking no matter what. He cleared out everything about being the son of an inventor who ignored him, as he did not have a Doctor Cid here to plant with him. He deleted the memories of Fran, and all his adventures as the leading man in Vaan's traveling group trying to place Princess Ashelia back on the throne of Dalmasca. Instead, the memories were rewritten to have Balthier be a classmate for Canti. He would be a popular guy with those looks and his ties to aristocracy, and always wanting to be free of political duties, would look into becoming an airship pilot. His age was dialed back to be just a year older than Canti, so he would not scare her too much. Though, Leviathan did wonder if there was a way to make him more humble more than a few times before he sent the signals into the crystal to cement them. No, Canti did enjoy Balthier's pompousness, for some reason. There was no reason to take that away from her.

After Balthier was taken care of, the next crystal belonged to Kain Highwind. According to history, Kain was an ancestor to Cid, but that would not do. All of the history about being Cecil's companion, his failed romance with Rosa, falling under the spell of Golbez and his journey to eventually become a holy dragoon with the last light remaining in Mount Ordeals were all erased from Kain completely. However, his fierce devotion to his family's lineage as dragoons, and his cool, calm, collected nature. His age was also dialed back, so he could be a classmate for Canti. The same age as Balthier. And, in being a Highwind, it was decided that he would be Cid's nephew, so that there would be no confusion about family ties. A few switches flipped, the signals were sent, and Kain's new identity was uploaded.

Another sip from the coffee cup. It was cold. Leviathan stood up, looking for a moment over at the last crystal. This one was important, too. The last one, well, if he fucked that one up, it was possible Cosmos would have him erased from all of space-time. He decided to go get a new cup of coffee. As he filled his cup again, the severity of all his decisions weighed on his shoulders. Atlas had it easy, only holding up the world. Because of his orders, he was to protect and raise a reborn, reconstructed, _reprogrammed_ heroine in case those who fought against the Ardent should die and be assimilated by it. With no ties to those beyond, she could not be tempted by them or hurt by the memories they once shared. Cantirena would be unstoppable, if only… if only she were raised properly for it. He mixed sugar and creamer into his cup, too, before taking a sip. How long would it be before he got a decent amount of sleep again? Did it matter if it meant his life and all other lives? He thanked Sakinah for his sacrifice, but where was _his_ thanks for his sacrifice? Sure, all of the Eidolons controlled their own layer of existence strung about, and they were all ruled differently, but for him to hide this one? Leviathan stared into his coffee cup before going back into his office, sitting back down before the control apparatus.

Leviathan put his cup down and finally stared into Minwu's digital file. "You, sir… you… I don't _want_ to put it in your mind, but I don't think I'll have to…" He promptly erased all of Minwu's history of being the Court Mage to the Fynn Royal Family, and his past as being a Palamecian orphan adopted by Mysidian mages. All of his time knowing Firion and advising the young hero, and sacrificing his life to help that same young hero obtain the Ultima Tome had to go, too. But, he would keep his expert use in white magic. And that same calmness in the heart that guided him to look after the emotional and mentally unstable Canti. He had to be able to understand her and know her and love her, even though, if things were looking as if he would have rivals in that with Kain and Balthier. He smiled for a moment as he thought about it. He wanted Minwu and Canti together badly, and he felt terrible about wanting to meddle in their feelings like that. He hoped with all of his heart that he didn't have to, but these two hearts would find each other even in these different circumstances and connect. If Canti was going to be this beacon of all things good to eventually use as a living weapon against the Ardent, she was going to need to know love's true potential. It was, after all, the only force in all existence that actually could put a dent in this force born of the void. Everything else would only feed it. This was why he spent so long agonizing over if he should cement their relationship now, or let it bloom on its own in the most natural of ways it could while being under the influence of so much mental manipulation. Perhaps Canti in his life preferred to be with Balthier over Minwu? There was no way to know until they started their new lives, unless he put the commands into the system right then and there. Minwu's age was dialed back to being just a year older than Canti, making him a part of the same age group as Kain and Balthier.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Leviathan said, "What am I even doing?! Why am I agonizing over this? I'm not even human… I need to stop reading human novels in my spare time, this hesitation is ridiculous. I'm a son of the Heavenly Mother…" He pressed the button and flipped the switch to signal the transfer of information to Minwu's crystal and finished his coffee.

"Dear, are you talking to yourself again?"

"Asura?" Leviathan perked up instantly upon hearing that voice. "My lovely wife!" He left the control panel and bounded out the door. "I just finished reprogramming the memories of the ones Heavenly Mother asked for."

"Good, you know she will not be happy if you mess this one up," Asura's voice could be heard through the room and out the hallway. "This happens to be one of the most important assignments she's ever given any one of us. Are you sure you can handle it?"

"I can take care of this. Why would you doubt me?"

"Because you fucked up your last chance with this girl! You let her die! You made Heavenly Mother very cross with all of _us_ for allowing you to make such a monumental mistake," Asura scolded him harshly. "You are being charged with raising a human weapon against the greatest evil force ever known. She is our last hope of defense."

"I didn't let her die. I had no idea she was going to do that and-"

"You were her _guardian_ , Leviathan!"

"But, but Asura, my love, you do not understand-"

"I understand all I need to… I understand that if Cosmos had not taken pity on both you and the girl, we had a very low chance of survival," Asura continued. "Still. The reason I'm here is not so you can get lovey-dovey on me. I am here because as the patron Eidolon of children, it is my duty to ensure that these children make it to your realm safely to their assigned homes and that the memories of those they go to live with are ready to receive them before they awaken." The multi-faced woman, known through the Fourth Realm as the goddess of all who carried the powers of white magic, stood with her arms crossed as she addressed her husband. "I have to make sure that you don't mess this up in such an early stage. How long will it be before they can all be moved?"

"It takes a good five hours for memories to fully be rewritten, and then you can move the crystals to their new homes easily enough. I will not have them awaken anywhere but there, or we'd have much more explaining to do," Leviathan said quietly. "Those who live within my protection have no knowledge of any realms or layers of existence outside it for a direct reason." He filled his coffee cup back up before turning again to address his wife. "Don't worry. I've taken all the steps I need to ensure that this works perfectly. She has all she could need. Close friends, family, and at least two suitors so she learns what love is."

"You didn't program it into Minwu's mind to make him love her right off the bat?"

"Heavens no, Asura! I wasn't gonna meddle in that!"

"You spent all that time meddling over it, and you _didn't_ go through with it? What kind of coward husband did I marry?! I mean, what's wrong with it, he _is_ her true love, right?"

"...Asura! I thought you of all people would understand the need for love to grow naturally between two people! Canti should have a choice as to who she loves. As long as she learns what love is, she'll be able to apply that against the Ardent. It doesn't have to be love from Minwu specifically, does it?"

"...Leviathan… you are so going to fuck this up, I can see it all ready…"

"Have some faith in me… you're my wife!"


	3. Chapter 2: Relocation

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Two_

 _Relocation_

Cid woke up, rather dizzy and confused. He put his hand on his forehead. He wasn't feverish. Must have been a strange dream, or something like that. That's what he got for staying up to read those science-fiction novels he borrowed from the library after work. He wore just his boxers and a t-shirt, though they were both damp with his sweat. His uniforms for both the Warriors of the Water and the shipyard both hung on the wall. Both were pressed neatly, hanging him. The room itself was plain, save for the family logo - a bright red circle emblazoned with the letters H and W on each half - hanging in the center of the wall directly facing the bed he sat in. He picked himself up, throwing his blankets over to the side of his bed. He needed a cup of coffee if he was going to get his day started. He was just simply too tired.

He reached for his robe instinctively, pulling it around himself as to not appear improper. Cid walked barefoot into the next room only to find his adopted daughter, Cantirena, curled up in a blanket on the couch, snuggling a fluffy white bunny wearing a black mage's outfit. Her blue hair peeked out of the blanket which covered up most of her body. Now he remembered what happened. They were up watching episodes of the Mysidian Rabbit way past bedtime, and she passed out on the couch. Not wishing to wake her, he tucked her in where she had fallen asleep. He knew that if she woke up without him there, she would have panicked and curled up in his bed alongside him, but it seemed as if all was right this morning. Cid made himself a cup of coffee and fired up the stove. He knew she'd be hungry the moment she woke up. He wasn't an expert at it. But having kept her as his own for a year now, he knew a few tricks here and there.

Once he had pancakes started, the smell of them made Canti stir from her sleep. She looked around at everything, seemingly just as confused as Cid was when he woke up. "Papa?" she called to him, rubbing her eyes. Canti could tell he was making her favorite breakfast as she pushed the blanket off of her and sat up. "Papa, what's… what's going on?"

Cid turned away from the stove, putting the pancakes he made for her on a plate. A stack of three bunny-shaped pancakes with a scoop of peanut butter, just like she liked them. He put them on the coffee table in front of her. "Good mornin', pumpkin," he said kindly. "You all right?"

"I'm dizzy, like I've been spun around on a propeller lots of times," Canti answered, proceeding to eat her breakfast. "Feels… weird…"

"Yeah, I woke up like that, too," Cid said, turning back to make himself a stack. "I figure it's because we were up all night watching cartoons on the Sphere again. Can't be too good for developing or decaying minds to binge on cartoons like that, can it?" He flipped the pancakes in the air and caught them again in the pan. "So. They any good?"

"Mhm!" Canti nodded vigorously as she ate bite after bite of her pancakes. "Thank you, Papa Cid!"

"Glad to hear it. So, looks like you'll be starting at a new school tomorrow," Cid said. Once he made his plate, he sat down next to her. His were simple, flat, normal pancakes, ate in a traditional fashion with butter and syrup. "You excited?"

She shook her head.

"What? And why wouldn't you be? You'll be going to the best quality school in the entire country. You passed the entrance exam with flying colors," Cid said as he ate. "Headmaster Leviathan himself even gave you an award for such a high score. Don't you remember?" He pointed up at a plaque that hung on the wall next to the framed adoption certificate Cid signed to formally make the girl he didn't father into his daughter. "I was so proud, I cried liquid pride."

"...I do, I just…" Canti frowned, continuing to enjoy her breakfast. "…I'm scared."

"We all get scared from time to time," Cid said, patting her on the back. "You're gonna be just fine. There's nothing to worry about. Today we'll be going over to the school to pick up your uniform, so you can speak to the headmaster while we're there. Get some of your butterflies out of your system before the big day." He was finished eating far earlier than she was, which he noticed was a common thing in the time they had lived together. All his days in training and living in the barracks had taught him to eat quickly. "Might even make some new friends."

"Friends?" Canti asked hesitantly. "I don't know…"

"Don't know about what? You need friends."

"Papa Cid… do you have friends?"

"Of course I do. You know that I spend time playin' cards over with the boys from the hangar sometimes, Setzer and his wife Daryll are good people. So's that boy, Mid, who just applied to be flight instructor for the cadets over at the Warriors of the Water trainin' center," Cid said. "You need something like that, with kids your own age. Won't do to have you turning into an old grizzled bastard like your Papa before you hit puberty." He sighed. "Friends are a good thing."

"I guess so…"

"I bet you'll meet someone you like..."

"I'll try my best, Papa Cid. If you think I should, then I'll try," Canti said, finishing her plate, finally. She looked up at him and decided it was time to get the day started. "I best wear something nice if we're going up to the school."

"That sounds like a good idea," Cid agreed, picking up the plates. He washed everything by hand, set it out to dry, and picked his clothes out.

Once they were both dressed, they both stood before the vanity to wash their face, brush their teeth, brush their hair. The duo were in perfect sync for that, except for when Cid pinned a moon-shaped hairpin behind her left ear to match the silver lining on her sweater vest and denim skirt. He smiled at her the entire time, and she relished in his affection every step of the way. Cid pulled on his pilot's jacket and scarf and the two were out the door together.

The walk between the neighborhood and the school was about ten minutes. There were many houses of various shapes and sizes all clumped together close by, separated from the streets by stone walls. Most people traveled by chocobo-drawn carriage or on their feet along the cobblestone streets, but there was at least one prototype motorcar over close to the school. Cid identified it as belonging to one of the richer families that lived on the other side of the city, and he kept his biased comments to himself while his daughter was in earshot so he would not have to deal with her repeating his thoughts to someone else and landing her in some sort of trouble later on. A few other families brought their children to the school, but it was not as populated out as Canti feared it would be. She clutched onto Cid's hand when other people got close, and even if her eyes seemed to quiver with fear, she did not once let out a complaint or cry. Cid was proud of her for that, as it was apparent she was legitimately scared by being out, but she did a great job of not letting it control her. At the front desk, Canti put her hands up to lean on it, as the desk was just about at her chin in height. The lady asked her name, not her father, which she didn't expect.

"...Cantirena… Highwind," Canti said, staring at the lady's nose instead of her eyes.

"Ah, yes, you are registered," the lady said. "Says here that you are to report to Headmaster Leviathan himself… he has your uniforms."

"Oh…" Canti said quietly, "…wh-where is he?" She wanted to hide her face. She hated it when she started stuttering.

"In his office. I'll let him know you're here. He'll come get you."

"Th-th-thank… you, ma'am."

"Such a polite little girl," the lady said. "You should be proud, Mr. Highwind."

"Never been prouder," Cid said. "C'mon, let's sit down and wait."

They sat down together to wait, while many other parents with students passed back and forth holding their uniforms all packaged up. Some were obviously from richer families than others, with one Cid was damned sure belonged to the governing body of the country - the Senate. Their son with blonde hair that fell to the floor seemed to get away with everything and had no respect for any authority at all. One Canti recognized as living very close by to their small two bedroom house, a girl with teal hair being led along by an elderly gentleman. Why were they alone made to wait?

Oh, no, there was another pair who were told to sit with them. Canti held onto Cid's hand that much tighter. A girl with pink hair this time who seemed to have a very happy disposition and a very bright smile sat with who Canti believed was her father. The two of them locked eyes for a few moments before a voice caught Canti's attention.

"Uncle Cid?"

Cid and Canti looked over to see a young man with a blonde ponytail standing close to his father. Cid smiled warmly. "Well, if it isn't my good-natured nephew and my…" he stopped himself from saying some sort of an expletive in the middle of a school office. "…of an older brother, Richard."

"School year just started and you're all ready needing to see Headmaster? Seems your daughter is just as much a troublemaker as you were when we were in school," Richard said teasingly, coming over to ruffle Cid's hair. "How are you, little brother?"

"Doing great, when you aren't being… _yourself_ ," Cid said, pushing Richard's arm off of him. "Go get your son registered all ready."

"Come on, Kain."

The young man stared at Canti for a few moments, knowing that by law they were cousins, but still drawn to her somehow. He didn't immediately follow his father's commands. Instead he walked over and kneeled in front of Canti. "Don't be scared," he said, putting his hand on her knee. "If anyone bullies you, I'll be there for you, cousin. No one will tease you. I promise. No one dares to put down a Highwind."

"Is _that_ why she's so scared?" the pink haired girl blurted out of nowhere.

"...Hikari, you can't just say things like that!" her father scolded her.

"But, but! I was wondering, and!"

"Don't scold her," Cid said. "Cantirena, she's a bit socially awkward. She was teased a lot when she was staying at the orphanage, so she's… not very easy in situations around people." He gave Kain a nod. "Thanks, kid."

"Any time, Uncle Cid. We Highwinds have to look after each other," Kain said, getting up to follow his father. "See you tomorrow, Canti."

Canti nodded back. "Th-thank you, Kain. Bye."

The wait felt like forever. Canti fidgeted a lot, leaning on Cid and swaying a bit. She had a very hard time sitting still. She didn't like all this sitting with all these people coming back and forth everywhere.

Cid put his hand on her head. "Hey. I just wanted to tell you that you're doing great. I know how hard this is for you. You're going to be just fine," he whispered to her, and she stopped moving to listen to him. "Calm down just a little bit. Just a little longer. We'll be out of here and go do lunch at that Chocobo place you like."

"Papa…" she replied. "…it's hard… all the people…"

"Oh I know it is, baby. Just a little longer."

That's when the door to the office beyond the front desk came open and the Headmaster came out, dressed very formally. He wore robes that moved like water and had hair that looked more like shiny fish scales than actual hair. His chin was pointed, and he smelled of sea foam and sandcastles. He stood between the two daughters and fathers with his arms wide open to them both.

"Forgive me," he said. "I did not mean to make you lovely ladies wait. I am Headmaster Leviathan, and I welcome you to my school. Dagurreo Garden Academy." Leviathan spun around, exchanging looks between Hikari and Canti. "You two are special. You scored the highest overall on the exams. Thus, you are both are honored students here at the Garden. I hope that you two will both be able to blossom in your talents…" he smiled. "Grow strong, my little ones. You'll be able to face anything that comes your way."

"You r-really think… I'm… special?" Canti asked, looking at the floor, staring into the ornate design. "I'm n-not…"

"I have every faith in you," Leviathan whispered. "You were born in my country for a reason." He reached his left hand to Canti. "May you be blessed by the sacred waters, my child." Leviathan passed to her a blue energy, and it seemed to put the little girl at ease. Then, he turned to Hikari, offering her his right hand, and whispering words to her Canti could not hear.

"And with that, my lovelies, I hope to see you both once a grading term to discuss things," the headmaster said, letting them both go. "All right." He snapped his fingers and two ladies from the back brought out massive boxes. "These contain all of your uniform pieces. You can read all the rules in the booklet provided." One box was placed in front of Canti and another in front of Hikari. "Tomorrow is your first day as my precious students. You'll have your schedules given to you at orientation, so do be sure to come a little early."

Cid helped Canti up and was amazed at how easy it was to lift the box. "Good thing the house is so close by," he said. "Come on, darlin'. I promised you lunch."

"All right, Papa!"


	4. Chapter 3: Reintroduction

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Three_

 _Reintroduction_

After eating a huge lunch and filling herself up to the brim full of fried chocobo and potato wedges, Canti came home with her Papa Cid to look at what was inside the huge box. Leviathan said there was a booklet about rules inside, and she imagined everything would make sense once she gave it some reading. That sure was a big box. Cid had to use a box cutter to open it, and inside were all sorts of articles of clothing from pants to skirts of various lengths, stockings, blouses, vests, coats. All of them had the same sky blue and silver tartan pattern except for the plain white blouses that were meant to be worn under the vests and coats. And along with all of that was a large book labeled in big, fancy letters: _Dagurreo Garden Academy Student Handbook_.

Cid flipped through it. "Pretty standard," he said. "There's a whole section here on proper uniform wear, but basically it boils down to wearing a shirt, wearing one of the tops over it, the bow tie in the collar, a bottom of your choice, either socks or stockings, and a pair of black shoes… which weren't provided. Says here any black shoes are allowed. You still have those flats, right?"

"Yep," Canti said, pulling them out of the closet. She put them on the coffee table and looked up at Cid who was fumbling through all the items they had taken out of the box.

"Must be a lot so you not only have variety, but you also don't have to wash the same uniform every day," Cid said, shrugging at it. "Long as nothing inappropriate is showing, I honestly don't care how you wear it. That's not the important thing, far as I'm concerned. You are in school to learn."

"I like the skirt," Canti pointed at it. "And the vest."

"If those are what you wanna go with tomorrow, we'll put the rest away," Cid said. "Take the stuff you wanna wear tomorrow, and I'll move the box. Gosh, that's a lot of stuff." He waited for her to pick the pieces she was going to use and then took the box up to the attic. "We'll get what we need when we need it."

"Mm!"

"So… are you excited now about tomorrow?" Cid asked as he carried the big box up the ladder.

"...maybe a little…"

Cid laughed, coming back down. "Go hang that up so you… _I_ don't have to iron it tomorrow morning in a hurry." He was in good spirits for some reason. Just felt like everything was going right.

Canti immediately grabbed the hangers from the closet and put all her uniform pieces on it, then hung it on a nail right next to her bed. Then she reached into a box and pulled out a leather satchel that felt all too familiar and put that on her nightstand right under her uniform hanging. "I hope I don't forget anything important," she said, staring at her uniform.

"Tomorrow is the first day, so they kinda expect you to make mistakes until you get it all squared away," Cid said, shrugging. "That's just how first days of school are, but… you've never been to school, now that I think about it."

"No…"

"You're going to be fine," Cid said reassuringly.

Soon, there was a knock at the door. Cid answered it, and there stood his nephew again with a few other kids behind him.

"Hi, Uncle Cid," Kain said with a smile. "Would Canti like to come out and play? Tidus wants to show us all Blitzball. We want to go up to the Stadium to see the game."

Canti came to the door, hiding behind her father's legs. She had never been invited to play with anyone before. "C-cousin?" she asked, blinking in confusion.

"Well, now, I think this is a grand idea," Cid said, putting his hand on Canti's head. "You keep a good eye on her, Kain?" Suddenly, his father's glare came out, staring straight into Kain's eyes. His tone changed drastically before he spoke again. "If she gets hurt, I'll be lookin' for you, young man."

"It'll be fine," Kain said, kneeling down to look at Canti. "Why don't you come play with us? I promise I won't let anyone hurt you. Think of it as getting used to being around everyone before tomorrow."

"O-okay," Canti nodded as she stepped out in front of her father. "Let me get my purse. I know the tickets cost gil…"

Kain just smiled. "Well _hurry_ up then. We're hoping to get together a group before the game starts. Tidus says it starts in about an hour, and we still have to head over to stadium."

Canti went back to her nightstand and grabbed her brown leather satchel that she had laid out before, which contained her moogle-head shaped wallet. She didn't have more than a few hundred gil, but that would have been enough to take care of one trip to the Blitzball stadium, right? Canti put it over her shoulder and She then walked past her Papa, looking up at him for confirmation and reassurance.

"Kain, Canti, if you two need me for anything, contact me on the Sphere, you both know the house number," Cid said firmly. "And I mean _any_ thing. Have her home before the streetlights come on, you both have school tomorrow."

"Yes, Uncle Cid," Kain said, taking Canti's hand. "Don't worry about anything, cousin. You're safe with me." Canti followed along quietly. More kids seemed to follow the group from other houses around, and the more she noticed, the more nervous she became. Kain just gripped her hand that much tighter. "So. How do you feel about tomorrow, other than having a hard time holding your thoughts together?"

"I'm… I'm gonna be fine," Canti said, not wanting anyone other than Kain to hear her. "I know I'll be fine… just take some getting used to." She noticed that people of all sorts of skin and hair colors were coming out to join the group. Everyone seemed to be either her age or just a little older, maybe up to fifteen. "Thanks for caring."

"Of course I care," Kain said. "My father says those in the Highwind family have to look after each other. And when I see you, always wide-eyed and worried… I know that I have to look after you. At school, you can't hide behind Uncle Cid."

"Hey, who's the cutie pie, Kain?" one kid asked Kain, stopping the two from following after everyone ahead of them.

"Knock it off, Irvine. She's my cousin, and she's never been out with friends before." Kain said.

"No wonder I'd never seen her. Blue hair is something I'd totally remember on a girl," Irvine said, trying to get a good look into Canti's eyes. Canti wanted to move behind Kain, but Irvine kept staring. What was it going to take to make him get out of her face? She didn't want to outright push him, but she was tempted. "No need to be shy, cutie pie."

"That's enough!" Kain said loudly. All that did was cause more trouble, and other kids turned their way. "Leave my cousin alone!"

"Hey, whoa, what's going on?" another kid ran over, stepping between Kain and Irvine. This one seemed a bit older and more mature than the others. He wore a white turban and whispy looking clothing, but the boy's skin was darker than Kain's, and much darker than Canti's. She noticed his hazel eyes were sharp, examining everything about everyone in the group. "Kain, are you getting defensive over nothing again?"

"Minwu, he was harassing my cousin, when she obviously is scared of him!" Kain shouted.

The more mature boy cocked his head to the side. "You have a cousin?"

Canti stepped out in front of Kain, even though he made a motion at her signaling that she didn't have to. "Hello…" she said, looking up at the boy with sunkissed skin who stood only an inch or two taller than she. "…my name is Cantirena Highwind. My friends call me Canti. At least, they would… if I had any friends…" her voice was quiet, and she did everything she could to keep herself from stuttering.

Minwu's face went from one of confusion to one of understanding. "You're nervous," he said kindly. "I see why." Their eyes met, and they shared a moment. A cosmic moment of connection that seemed to make all of Canti's fears melt away. "Well, all right. Let me handle this for you." He rose his voice to address all of the kids in the group. "Everyone, this is Kain's cousin. Her name is Canti. She's a little nervous, because she's never been out like this before, so let's do what we can to make her feel welcome."

"Canti?!" a female voice called from the head of the pack.

"Huh?"

"It _is_ you!" she was immediately hugged by the girl with pink hair she met just earlier that day at the school. "When I heard the name, I just had to make sure! Hi! I'm Hikari. Remember we both met with Headmaster Leviathan this morning? It was me and my best friend Tidus that decided to get everyone together to go see a Blitzball game. Oh, I'm so glad to see you!"

"Thanks, Hikari," Canti said quietly. "I just… wanna go to the game… let's not stop everything just because I was… introduced."

"For your first night out, we should stop by the ice cream shop after the game," Hikari said happily. "They've got this dish where they make it look like a moogle, and it's the cutest thing!"

"Papa Cid said to come home before the streetlights come on," Canti said. "I'm gonna do exactly as he says."

"Mm, all right," Hikari let her go and waved to call over more of her friends. "Okay, Tidus, we can go now. Lead the way. We all have school in the morning, and we've spent quite enough time just gathering up a crowd."

"As long as everything's all right," Tidus said. He looked at Kain, who had been defensive, and Canti who seemed to be in a perpetual state of unsure of herself and those around her. Then he looked to Minwu, who always did seem to calm a lot of kids the way an adult would. "Let's get this show on the road!"

As a great big group of about twenty-five kids, they all made their way to the gigantic stadium to watch a game where players swam around in a huge sphere of water kicking a ball around. A lot of the kids got really into it, cheering fiercely for their club team with all of their might. Canti just sat between Hikari and Kain, with Minwu in the seat behind them. She ate a snack she bought at the concession stand and tried to figure out all the rules of the game. All she really understood was that the balls went into these triangle shaped things, and that won teams their goals. And when the team Tidus was cheering for managed to get a goal, was that a wild scream of excitement. A bit loud for Canti's sake, and if she was alone, it would have scared her, but in the company of friends - which before today she never had - It was a nice experience overall. Canti decided that she would do it again, if she could. Though, maybe a gathering at a quieter place would suit her a bit better?

"You wanna hit up the ice cream shop before we go home?" Hikari asked the moment the victor was declared to be the same team that Tidus was cheering for. Canti didn't catch what team it was, exactly.

"We totally have to celebrate!" Tidus said loudly. "I can't wait until I'm able to play, too!"

Canti just shook her head. "I liked the game, I had fun being out. But I think I've had enough time out for today. Kain, can you take me home now?"

"Of course. You'd get lost out here alone."

Good nights and hugs were exchanged, and Minwu followed Kain and Canti as they went over to the area where Cid's house was. It turned out that Minwu lived only a few houses down the street from Canti, and Kain's father's place was only on the other side of the block. Canti came home tired from her adventure, but ultimately glad she went. She took a bath, changed into her pajamas, and gave Cid a hug.

"I'm ready to go to bed…" she said, yawning.

"You don't want supper?"

"I ate at the game."

"I just don't want you waking up hungry. I know that's painful for you."

"Papa, I have a big day tomorrow…" Canti said, looking up at him very sleepily. "I'm gonna go to bed now."

"Then I'll turn in early, too," Cid said, turning off the lamp in the living room kitchen combo. He ruffled her hair and watched her as she climbed into her bed from the door. "Rest well, baby girl." Then he pulled the string to turn off the lamp in her room.

Canti curled up in her blankets, lost in the hollering from the game still echoing in her mind. She met new friends, but the one that really remained in her mind was Minwu. She smiled as she thought of how soothing his voice was, how familiar he felt to her, even though it was the first time they had ever met. She soon fell asleep, dreaming of watching more Blitzball with her friends.


	5. Chapter 4: Reassignment

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Four_

 _Reassignment_

The next morning, Canti woke from a strange dream. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, wondering what it all meant. It was still dark outside her window, but this didn't stop her from getting up. She noticed her Papa Cid still snoring in his bed. It was early, but that was fine. She got a shower and pulled on her uniform as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her blouse, the blue tartan vest, the cute bow along the collar, the knee-length skirt, the stockings, and the black flat dress shoes she had grown used to wearing a few months ago. Was she really ready to start attending a school? She was so used to following her dad around during his daily stuff. She brushed her curly hair, yelping a little at her tangles, and rebraided her braids on either side of her face. She yawned, still a little tired, but she looked great for her first day.

Cid soon woke up, more confused than anything about the dream he had. But that didn't stop him from making sure he got breakfast on first thing. Canti was ready to go all ready, and she didn't seem to be as worried about it as she was when they spoke of it yesterday. He presented her with eggs, bacon, and toast, which she devoured just as quickly as he normally ate all of his breakfast.

"That's how I know things just aren't right with you," Cid said. "You know you can tell me anything, right, sweetheart?"

Canti nodded. "Can I have some more?"

"That nervous?"

"I'm afraid of my stomach rumbling during something important," she answered. "When that happens, it's always loud. And…"

"Ah, right," Cid said, frying her up another plate's worth. "So, did you make any new friends yesterday when you went to the ballgame?"

"Mhm," Canti replied. The moment Cid gave her another plate, she devoured everything there, too. "I saw the pink haired girl from the office yesterday. She introduced me to her friend Tidus and there was Minwu who was very nice and understanding, and this guy who did not understand why I didn't want to talk to him named Irvine…" She handed him the plate back and burped just a little. "Excuse me."

"You're excused, kiddo," Cid said, smiling. "Hey, let's get a picture for your first day of school!"

"...okay, if you want!"

Cid used a sphere to record a little footage of Canti in her uniform, and he seemed just too happy to do it. He then put the recorder away, noticing the clock. "You wanna start heading over there, then?" he asked, giving her a very calm smile.

"Yeah. I think so," Canti nodded.

Cid immediately grasped around her. "I'm proud of you. Know that I love you. I'll be going to the shipyards for work today, so you'll probably end up home before me," he said, walking her to the door. "You have your key in your purse, right?"

"Yes, Papa."

"Good girl. I'll see you tonight then," he let her go, watching her as she turned away from him to walk down the porch steps. "Tell me all about your adventures today later. I wanna hear about absolutely everything." Cid waved even though she was turned away to walk down the street. He called out her one more time. "Love you!"

Canti turned around one last time to wave back at him. "Love you too!"

Cid smiled, turning to go back inside. But he saw across the street, an old man waving to send another girl to school, too. And a few houses down, there was a young man being waved on. It gave him a sense of unity with the community for a moment. All these parents, letting their children go on their own to school. Perhaps Canti was more normal than she gave herself credit for?

He finally went inside, finding the house feeling empty all ready. He sighed, heading over to give himself a shower, and pull his uniform on. Cid wasn't really ready to return to work again, honestly. Going back to all the smelly machines, greasy work… losing all his tools to assholes who just wanted to borrow a damn wrench but never returning it… Cid was never going to forgive that damned Otto for getting hydraulic fluids all over his toolbox, either. But, that was fine. He got used to being a full-time dad for a while, and now it was time to get back to work. Luckily, the Senate approved his year off to make this family function. He had grown accustomed to spending his time in grocery stores and at home, taking his adopted daughter to see airships on display and generally just taking care of her. Of course this day was going to come, but part of him wished he could just have her be his little girl forever.

Cid made his lunch of leftovers and sandwiches, then tied his lunchbag to the handle of his toolbox, and pulled his goggles onto his head. Once he was outside and locked the door, he lit a cigarette and headed towards the shipyards, which were about a twenty minute walk in the direction opposite the school. He turned in the direction of the school, hoping everything was going all right. Oh, what was he thinking? Of course things were going all right!

…

Canti stood at the statue that was right in front of the office for the Dagurreo Garden Academy. She stared straight up at the statue, which was supposed to be of the Goddess Cosmos. Apparently this point wasn't just the front of the school, but this statue was known to be the dead center of the entire city. She wondered why the figure seemed so familiar to her.

"Hey, Canti…" a voice called to her from the side. "…you one of those religious types?"

Canti turned her head to see that Tidus was standing there. "Nah, Papa Cid doesn't make me go pray or anything. But… I dunno, I feel like maybe there is a lady that looks just like this statue somewhere out there."

"I don't like religion very much," Tidus grumbled as he looked up at the statue. "My dad got hurt fighting for a religious battle, and it didn't go so well." He then went on, passing the statue. "I don't think any God or Goddess or anything is that important. What matters is what we can see in front of us."

Canti wondered what he meant, but didn't bother to ask. She went to walk past the statue again, stopping to gaze up at the face. She had seen that face before. That woman, whether she was a goddess or not, she existed somewhere. She then went into the office, where there were tons of students all huddled around several tables waiting for their schedules. She frowned. Couldn't they have given this to them yesterday with their uniforms? Why fuss over it like this?

She was going to speak to the lady she saw at the office desk yesterday, but she was pushed out of the way and knocked her over, causing her to fall against someone else.

"Hey now," the person she fell against said, his eyebrows furrowed. "What is a sweet thing like you doing crashing into me?" Canti wondered what he meant by that. The boy was charming, his voice stirred something in her she didn't quite understand. He helped her stand and she fixated on his face. " _Blue_ hair? Now isn't that something?"

"It's just the hair I was born with," Canti said, looking at the charming boy with confusion. What did that question even mean?

"Don't mind _him_ ," the familiar voice of Kain said behind her. "He's not worth your time."

"Well, if it isn't the Grand Dragoon's son," the charming boy said, sporting a very adorable little pout. "Don't tell me you've taken a liking to this toad, princess… he's quite the irritating one."

"Ffamran…" Kain grumbled, "…meet my cousin, Canti."

Ffamran instantly let her go. "I know better than to flirt with a Highwind," he said, passing behind Kain. For a moment, he turned back to look at her and winked at her. "Though, I might make an exception for a little princess like you."

"Kain…" Canti said, "…what did he mean? He's… weird."

"Ffamran is a flirt," Kain said. "Nothing like the men of our family who uphold a sense of honor. Just because his family has a seat in the Senate, he thinks he can just say and do whatever wants, and because he has such a pretty face, he gets away with it." He reached to Canti, taking her hand and pulling her close to him. "Our last names are the same, so we'll wait in the same line. Come on over here. The schedules are passed out by last names, see." Once they were in the appropriate line, Kain then leaned in to ask her quietly, "What were you doing with Ffamran anyway?"

Canti sighed, looking down at the floor. "I wanted to ask where to go, but I was bumped and crashed right into him. I didn't mean to do anything, cousin, I just… You know large groups of people are scary..."

"I know, I know. I said I'd look after you today, help you get situated. We won't be together all the time, but I can help somewhat," Kain said, his expression towards her becoming soft and understanding. "I was here last year, so I can show you around before we go to orientation."

As more and more kids got their schedules, eventually it came to be Canti's turn. The lady asked her name, and then handed her an envelope with had her name on it. Kain got his and the two of them headed out to a flat grassy area where a whole bunch of other kids were getting together to wait for orientation to begin. The cousins sat in the same patch of grass and curiously took a peek at the schedules given to them.

"Combat basics year two… Monsterology year two… same old stuff… I have to be with Bahamut again for year two? After what happened last year, I'm not looking forward to that." Kain said, looking at his cousin. "How's yours?"

Canti unfolded the paper, scanning over it. "Combat basics year one… Magician's Mastery year one… Chorus… and…" she shook her head. "No, no, this must be a mistake. I didn't ask for… anything like this… only elective I wanted was Chorus…" She put it back in the envelope. "I wonder if this is what the headmaster meant?"

"The headmaster? Oh, that's right, you met with him yesterday."

She nodded, putting the envelope into her satchel. "I'll do my best… I told Papa Cid I would…"

"The tests determine the kind of classes we get, Canti," Kain said. "Perhaps the one testing you saw something… they always examine us using magic while we're testing. That's just how things work here in Dagurreo." He tried to comfort her, but she was obviously distraught.

"Advanced Placement Mysidian speech, though?" Canti asked, shaking her head. "That's not something they could just sense in me, is it?"

"You'd be surprised," Kain said. He pulled his hand back. "Hey. You'll be all right. The tests are never wrong. We all find our place through the system, right where we need to be, right where our talents are. My father was trained to be the Grand Dragoon because he had the innate ability for it. I'm in training to take his place, because I have the innate ability for it."

"And what comes from taking combat basics, magic, chorus, and… speaking in a language I don't even know how to properly say the name of?" Canti asked, frowning. "I'm not anything!"

"I would have to disagree with you," a friendly voice said behind her. The Highwind cousins found Minwu standing there. "I hear you have Advanced Placement Mysidian? Me, too." He sat down with the duo, his demeanor being nothing but peaceful.

Kain's expression went sour, but he turned his face away to avoid Canti seeing it. How could this guy have gotten a class with her? And one that there was no way he could help with, at that? Wait. Why was he jealous? Canti was his cousin and his friend. Even if he liked her, which he did just a little, he couldn't ever… not without breaking some laws. "How fortunate for you that Minwu has that class with you," Kain said, shrugging.

"It's a language from another country," Minwu said quietly. "A country beyond the barrier, from what I was told."

"Barrier?" Canti asked. "What's that?"

"There's a barrier at the edge of the country. No one knows what's on the other side of it," Minwu continued. "It is supposed to take untold crazy magical powers to pass through the barrier, but no one here has ever managed to do it. I've only been out there once, and that was with my parents. I barely remember it. I think they wanted to go through for some reason, but it didn't happen."

"Wow…" Canti said, wondering what it was like to find a magical barrier that kept her from going forward.

"It's put there to protect us from what's on the outside," Kain said. "That's what my father says about it, anyway. There's something out there that would just destroy our whole home if we let it in. That's why Leviathan formed the Warriors of the Water in the first place. In case the barrier falls down. All of us who train as Leviathan's sacred warriors take up arms to defend everyone else." He took pride in telling this story, because it was a core part of who he was. Kain's father, Richard Highwind, was the Grand Dragoon, one of the greatest members of the Warriors of the Water, who prioritized the safety of all people within the country. Kain was going to inherit that position one day, and he knew it was his duty to look after everyone. "It's not just my father, yours is a high ranking member of the Dragoon division of the Warriors, too, Canti. Uncle Cid is one of us."

"He has the uniform, and sometimes he goes out alone to practice his lance," Canti said, nodding. "I know he is."

"It is a Highwind family tradition," Kain said. "We are all users of the lance and take our fighting style from that of dragons."

"...does that mean I'll have to, too?"

"Don't be silly, Canti…" Kain dismissed her question. "You think for a moment that Uncle Cid is going to let cute little you follow in his footsteps? He didn't want to do it, but the moment he knew he was going to adopt you, he accepted the call and became one of Leviathan's very own to defend you from all enemies… those within and those outside." He smiled. "You'll probably be a mother or something like that when you get older since you're a girl."

Canti's frown turned into a glare. "No fair! You get to be a Warrior of the Water and train for some great upcoming war, and here I get to be stuck as a mother?!"

"I… I meant that in a nice way… I meant to say you'll always be safe from whatever comes your way, I… I didn't mean to demean you…" Kain said, putting his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry, cousin, I-"

"...Did you think because I'm a girl that I can't find my way around the school or something?" Canti said, crossing her arms and turning away from him.

"No, I did that because I know you have a problem dealing with people, not because you're a girl. I'm sorry, Canti. Honestly. I didn't mean to say that you can't be a Warrior of the Water, or a Dragoon, or anything." Kain said defensively. "Come on, cousin. You know me better than that. Besides, if the tests say you are qualified to study a language from another country somewhere beyond the barrier, that probably means that they need you to communicate with whatever is over there…" he tried to smile, but this whole thing put him off. "…because that _might_ be a thing. I don't know magic very well. I don't know what's out there, and I don't know what's inside you. But the tests know. The ones in charge of reading the tests, they know. And they'll guide you, if you let them."

There was a large sound from the center of the grassy field. It seemed as if someone wearing robes made of fire was standing there, holding some sort of device to make his voice louder. "Excuse me… first year girls, if you would all come over to this side…" his voice was deep, metallic, and sounded like a cross between rubbing a scaled fish on a metal washboard and typing endlessly on a fifty-year-old typewriter with half of the keys stuck for some reason. "…and first year boys, on this side here."

Canti stood up and looked at both of her companions, Kain and Minwu. "We'll talk about this later," she whispered before going over to stand with the group as she was directed. "I don't want to start trouble the first day."

"No, no, go on," Minwu said, making a motion with his hand to shoo her away. "Your cousin and I are both second years, so we know what's happening. Be careful, Canti."

"I will."

"Initiation is terrible," Kain grunted. "Be glad it's only for this morning."

Canti headed to the group with all the other first year girls, wondering what Kain meant about that. There was just too much information to process… the barrier, the Warriors of the Water, what her schedule meant, whatever this initiation was going to be… too much stuff to worry about.


	6. Chapter 5: Reconditioning

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Five_

 _Reconditioning_

The man in the center of the grassy area outside the office gave the orders repeatedly. All the first year girls were grouped on one side and the boys were on the other side. His voice was terrible to listen and even more so with an amplifying device. All of the students wore variations of the same uniform she did, though she did not see a single boy in a skirt. The upperclassmen were all together on the grassy area, apart from the first years. Once they were separated, Canti stood with other girls, just nowhere near as sure of herself as few others seemed to be.

"And now, Initiation for the first years!" the man said, and the upperclassmen - save for a few here and there - all gave hoots and hollers. "All of those who enter our Garden have to show where they start combat wise. Part of the curriculum is learning how to fight against enemies from inside and outside our country's barriers. So. Show us what you got, freshmen!"

"Combat?" Canti asked in disbelief, her head slinking to the side. "I've never fought anything before…"

"Me, either," a girl said, standing to her left. "My grandpa doesn't let me fight."

When Canti looked to see who was there, she found the teal-haired girl that passed by her in the school office while she was waiting to see the headmaster. "I've seen you before," she said.

"Mmm, yep," the teal-haired girl said. She was fiddling with her necklace which had a key dangling at the end. She stood almost a full head shorter than Canti, which wasn't very typical of anyone she'd ever met before. "You might not know me, but I know you. You're Cid Highwind's daughter, right? You live right across the street from me. Grandpa Tobul speaks very highly of you and your dad."

"...I'm sorry…" Canti muttered. "I only recognize you from passing. I don't think I've actually met you before." She remembered saying something about a dwarf family living across the street. Was Crystal part dwarf? With hair and skin like that, she found it hard to believe that Crystal was full dwarf.

"Nope, never tried to speak to you. I could tell you had some kinda problems talking to strangers, so I kept my distance. You seem to have an easier time of it now, though. That's good," the girl said, extending her hand to Canti. "My name is Crystal."

"Canti," Canti said, shaking Crystal's hand. "Nice to meet you."

The Initiation progressed with students one by one standing face to face against an opponent made of magic, summoned by the man in the robes that looked like fire. And for most students, one by one, they all fell in one way or another. Most first years only took a single hit before they hit the ground, but a few took more hits than that. One managed to land a blow on the blue apparition, though there was no way to actually hurt it. The procedure went along in the order that the students had lined up, and went of the order boy-girl-boy-girl. Many upperclassmen cheered at this display, laughing at those who fell and cheering at those who managed to make some sort of a stand. Minwu found it incredibly barbaric to torture children like this that had never once fought a day in their lives, and Kain couldn't watch it. Both of them seemed more irritated at the display than anything.

Crystal's turn came, while it was clear she had some natural strength in her body, she was knocked over rather quickly. A few voices came from boys watching on, asking where her supposed dwarf strength was. Canti stood in both fear and annoyance at the fact that once the boy who stepped up was done, it was her turn.

That boy's turn was over before it even began. He didn't even bother mounting a defense. The moment she let the summoner know he was ready, a blow was struck across his stomach and he keeled over in pain.

Canti stepped away from the other first years, pushing her bangs from her face. She knew this was going to hurt, but she had to face it. She saw how brave her Papa Cid was several times. If she was his daughter, then she could try to avoid something before her eventual fall. The summoner looked at her, waiting for the confirmation that he was ready to defend herself, and before she gave it, she let her eyes trace the crowd. So many faces. How could she even try to be brave when she was so afraid of all those people? Especially when she knew so many were going to judge her for it!

Kain shook his head. "Just… just get it over with, cousin…" he said. "I can't…"

"The poor dear looks terrified," Minwu said, crossing his arms. "I would rather we not continue this tradition if at all possible. Garden can judge us all during the tests, and we've had quite enough testing… why all of this in front of everyone?"

Canti nodded to the summoner. She watched the same blue apparition that attacked so many of her classmates coalesce in front of her, taking the form of a human combatant. As it raised its arm, like it was holding a sword in its hand to strike her with, she immediately put her hands out and screamed, "NO!" As the hand came down, it met with a forcefield, clanging off of it.

There was a murmur in the crowd from both her classmates and those onlooking. No first year had ever managed to deflect an attack, apparently. Canti stood with her hands up, even though she had no idea how she did it. Energy flowed through her, familiar energy, though she had no idea why it was familiar, or how.

The man wearing robes that looked like fire reached to over to Canti, seizing her arm. The barrier fell as she was shocked by this, and he pulled her along with her. The rest of the Initiation Ritual continued, while Canti was taken somewhere away from all the other students.

"Sir," he said. "As you said she would. I brought her here."

"Thank you, kupo… Good to see you, Canti. Kupo."

She was completely confused as she found a moogle standing there wearing very ornate blue robes that drug the ground and what she could only describe as a terribly designed three-pointed hat. "I'm sorry? Do I know you?" she asked.

"No, no," the moogle answered calmly, using his tiny little wings to lift himself up off the floor. "I came to see you. Make sure you're doing all right, kupo. There are people who expect great things from you."

"I'm just a girl…" Canti said, shaking her head. She took a step back, her eyes full of fear. "…I don't know why I was able to deflect that attack. I don't understand why Papa Cid even put me in this school!"

"Canti, you are very special… ever since you took the placement test, we have known about many things concerning you, kupo," the moogle continued. "If you have any problems, I want you to report it directly. At home, at school, any problem at all, kupo." He then set himself back down. "Other than that, live however you like. Love, learn, experience. Anything and everything you have ever wanted is available to you, kupo."

Canti clearly wasn't taking this very well. She started to fidget where she was standing, looking down at the floor. Her expression revealed she was distraught and had no idea what was going on. "Papa Cid said he wanted me to go to this school and get a good education," she said, "so I just want to get to that. Please let me…"

"Understood. I won't keep you, kupo," Dr. Mog's big red nose wiggled a few times. "Go down through that hall and you'll be back at the front hall of the Garden. Kupopo. Remember that there are people looking out for you and only wish to see you succeed, Canti." He waved goodbye to her before turning around to leave.

The same weird guy that took her away from the others led her out of the strange place she met the moogle in. He left her in the central hall of the Garden, and boy, was she ever lost. Kain promised to show her around before they were separated for the day, but then the whole Initiation thing happened, and… it took all she had not to just give in and cry where she stood.

"Heeeeey!"

And that's when two pairs of arms glomped around Canti at the same time.

"Why is everyone grabbing me so unexpectedly?!" Canti yelled, pushing whoever they were off of her person. "I'm tired of it being so sudden!"

"Sorry, I totally forgot about you and your hard time with people… I thought maybe because we're friends now that you wouldn't be so scared. I really am sorry." The first voice she heard belonged to Hikari. "…it's just that I was worried about you being taken off like that."

"Did you get in trouble?" the other voice came from the girl she met during the Initiation, Crystal. "Your cousin was super upset seeing you being dragged off like that! Minwu had to carry him to class kicking and screaming, it was pretty bad."

Hikari said, shrugging. "…before they left, Minwu said you had Combat Basics first thing, and since we have that first too, we figured we'd find you and take you with us! Because you seem to be so lost and everything all the time."

"That's the plan," Crystal agreed. "Head to Combat Basics together."

"That is very kind of you both," Canti said bashfully. "Truth is, I'm completely lost. I'm glad I can count on friends to help me. Papa Cid was right about making friends… Thank you."

"Thing is…" Crystal began slowly.

"...so are _we_ ," Hikari finished just as slowly.

Canti put her hands on her hips. "Well. That's just _wonderful_."

…

Cid hadn't been back at the old hangar in a whole year since he had taken to adopting Canti, and while he missed her terribly, he also knew that the Senate would not support his endeavor of being a stay-at-home dad much longer. Once he got back to his old station and shared a high-five with Setzer Gabbiani, he seemed to feel much more at home again. He lit a cigarette before pulling over an airship engine to start working on it. In case of fluids leaking on his face, he pulled his goggles down over his eyes.

"Yo, Cid!"

"Hey, numbskull," Cid answered back, crawling under the engine while lying back on his wheelie-board, "Ain't heard from you in a dog's age."

"What's it like bein' a dad?"

"Kinda slow, but I like it like that. Get to do all the fun stuff, like watch cartoons and learn to make bunny shaped pancakes."

"You ain't lost your taste for a good ale, have ya?"

"Fuck you, Otto. I ain't going down to the pub after work. Not going back down that path. We talked about this before."

"You used to be _real_ handy in them bar fights."

Cid pulled himself out from under the engine, pulled up his goggles, and gave Otto a real sharp glare. "I also used to be an asshole. Sounds like you still are one. Now get the fuck back to work. I'm not losing my job over you. I got a daughter to support."

"Oh, don't fucking start with me, Cid. You ain't no better than anyone else in this hangar. Just because you go goody-two-shoes and adopt a special needs retard don't mean your shit don't stink," Otto said, turning back to his own work.

Cid immediately stood up, ready to find the nearest sharp object and shove it in Otto's eye, but their nearby coworker and supervisor Setzer stood between them. "Cid, you said it yourself, you can't afford to lose your job. Back down there, dad. Just back to your station." Then he pointed at Otto. "You! I want you on latrine duty the rest of the day!"

"But I have a quota to meet before the end of the week!" Otto shouted at Setzer.

"Then maybe you ought not to have been running your mouth," Setzer said, motioning for him to leave. "Get out of here and let us get some actual work done. Every latrine and portable latrine in the ship-yards and hangars better be spotless by sundown today. And I will inspect."

Otto grumbled as he shoved off to do as he was ordered, flipping Cid off before he left the hangar.

"That guy…" Setzer said with a sigh. "…he got off light. If my wife had heard him saying things like that, there would have been nothing left of him. She does not appreciate people talkin' down about children like that."

"I about killed him," Cid said. "My daughter, she's not an… one of _those_. She ain't a retard. Just a little awkward."

"I know. She was a joy to be around when I saw her a couple months ago," Setzer said. "C'mon then, it's great to see you back, but we really should get crackin' on these motors."

"Damn straight," Cid agreed. He crawled back under the motor, giving one last thought to his daughter, hoping her first day at school was going better than his first day back to work.


	7. Chapter 6: Reassessment

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Six_

 _Reassessment_

The trio of girls were led to the Combat Basics Year One classroom by a moogle wearing a gear around its pompom and flew in a zigzag pattern. Of course, there were other first year students just as confused as they were, and many were even later to the gathering than they were. All of them were gathered into a room with no desks or chairs, but just told to sit wherever they wished. The instructor was a lady in the same uniform as the students, though the articles did seem a bit more adult than the students ensemble. She had blue hair that was pulled into several different braids, all hanging around her waist. The moogle stayed with the instructor once all of the students for the class were assembled there in the room, still floating about in a zigzag pattern over all of them.

"Settle down, younglings," the instructor said, snapping her fingers. The lights overhead immediately turned as blue as her hair, catching all of their attention. "I am Shivan," she continued. "And I will be bringing you into the basics of combat. All who live here in Dagurreo know, even from a young age, that we are preparing for an eventual invasion. We do not know what this enemy is, but those in power - the Senate and our headmaster, Leviathan - know it is coming for all of us. So, it was decreed and ratified into law that all of us know how to defend ourselves and those weaker than ourselves from whatever eventual enemy we may face."

Canti sat there between her two friends Crystal and Hikari, each of them watching the teacher very closely and paying attention to every single detail.

"All of you have potential for battle. The tests have told us this," Shivan continued. "It it up to you to see where your aptitude lies. This morning, all of you will try different weapons to see what works with your body type and strength. Everything from throwing darts to hammers, from maces to staves, and the tried and true spears and swords are all within these many chests. Explore them all and see what clicks with you."

Crystal raised her hand.

"Yes, miss?" Shivan said, turning to her.

"I've never held a weapon before," Crystal said. "How do I know where to start?"

"That is a good question, which I am sure many of you have," Shivan said, putting her hands together. "How about all of you who have never held a weapon before gather on the left side of the room, and those who have spent some time training over to the right side." She waited for the group to divide, though there were only a few standing on the right side of the room now. "Single file, line up. Each of you will get a few minutes to hold and experiment with each weapon, one at a time. Once you test them all out for yourselves, you'll make a decision."

Each of the first year students, starting with the one nearest the treasure chests where all the weapons were kept, went one-by-one to look at different pieces of weaponry. Save for the shuffling of each one and the clattering of weapons back and forth between hands, it wasn't very noisy. Until, one kid said that he liked the feel of a sword, and then another one responded with how much she thought the bow and arrow was more her style. Soon everyone had an opinion on every piece, and Canti got so lost in everyone else talking that she had a hard time hearing her own thoughts.

Canti was in the middle of the line, so it took a bit for her to get to the first weapon. A sword. She was left handed, and this one was clearly meant for a right handed user, so she immediately passed it to the person behind her, which was Crystal. A staff felt light and easy to use. She made a mental note of that. She couldn't even get an arrow to notch against the bowstring, so that was out. The hammer was simply too heavy to lift, and the mace seemed frightening with its ball and chain at the end of a stick. Canti wasn't sure what to do, everything seemed a bit weird, until she found a spear. It immediately reminded her of Papa Cid. She thought of watching him practice with it, and mimicked one of his poses. The spearhead in her left hand and her right hand holding it steady seemed to make sense. For some reason, she just understood it. It felt natural and she could see herself fighting with this against untold hordes of enemies. She smiled, having faith in being her father's daughter, and placed it down to pass it along to Crystal behind her. Canti tried other weapons, too. A gun, a bo staff, a fighting claw, a double bladed ax, a katana… but nothing seemed to have that same natural feeling to her hands than a spear. What were the chances of that?

Once she had tried everything, Shivan directed her to sit with the other students who had completed it. Everyone was talking about how cool the one weapon they liked was, but she sat there with her legs crossed, waiting for her friends to finish.

Crystal had a huge smile on her face as she sat next to Canti. "Just like my grandpa," she whispered, giving a thumbs up, "I'm gonna use a huge hammer!"

"...I liked the spear," Canti replied, also in a whisper. "It seemed to just… click with me."

"Ah… that's the mark of the Highwind family," Crystal said. "All the Highwinds are dragoons. Everyone knows that. It's tradition. It's in the blood, as they say."

Canti sat there for a moment as she thought about those words. In the blood? But… she was adopted. Did that matter? It made her a little nervous to think about it. She put her hands in her lap, watching as Hikari came over to sit down close to them. Hikari seemed to be confident in how it went, and Crystal seemed downright excited about it. But Canti wasn't sure what to make of it. The spear felt so natural in her hands. She was just like her Papa Cid in so many ways, so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing…

"Ah, great! Everyone has a good feeling for what would work for them, now, right?" Shivan asked, catching everyone's attention with a clap of her hands that let out more shiny blue energy. "You will report your weapon choice to the Garden distributor, and you will have a loaner assigned to you until you can find one that works for you to practice with. Every day, you will bring your weapon with you, and starting tomorrow, everyone will begin formal training with their weapon. There will be general sessions, and sessions where we break off according to weapon types." She waved for all of them to follow her, and her moogle followed behind all of the students to make sure no one wandered off while they were transferring.

Canti was given a spear and a holster to strap to her back to carry it in while she was not using it. She held it in her hands and made a few motions, but she decided to wait until she got home to ask Papa Cid more advice about it. She put it in the holster, watching her friends try with their weapons a bit more.

Hikari had a katana blade, and she seemed to be quite happy about it. She made a few slashes and then put the sword in its sheath, laughing at it. Crystal had a hammer which looked super heavy but she used it with absolute ease. She was much stronger than her appearance would have led onlookers to believe.

…

During lunch break, Canti sat by herself in the middle of the courtyard with her little basket full of fried chocobo and potato wedges as she found in the cafeteria. There were just so many people in there that she didn't want to be in there very long, so she only took something she knew she'd enjoy and wanted to better plan her future trips into the cafeteria better than just barging in there when everyone else did. She was happy there, sitting under a tree's shade, about to take a bite when she heard a voice behind her.

"Hello, miss."

Such a formal voice, one with a depth not many grown-ups could reach. She was instantly mystified by it. Was someone with that kind of voice speaking to her? That voice was so deep it could have belonged to a mystic Eidolon, or maybe a fairy tale prince. Canti looked around to see where it could be coming from, and she found someone who could have been a whole head taller than she was. He had very beautiful purple eyes, and blonde hair that messily fell around his face and down past his shoulders. She didn't recognize him from the first year class she had earlier, so he had to be an upperclassman.

"Do I… know you?" Canti asked, finding it very hard to look away from his purple eyes. She had never seen eyes that color before, and it was easy to just get lost in them.

"Probably not, but I know you, miss," the boy said, pulling a purple rose from his uniform coat to offer to her. When she didn't know if she took it, he nodded to her to indicate that it was indeed for her. "I saw you this morning at Initiation, and… I was quite impressed with what I saw."

"...I don't know how I did it…" she said, putting that crispy chocobo strip in her mouth. Canti hoped that would make the boy leave her be, but he just stood there, staring at her while she ate. She found him enchantingly handsome for someone who must have been only a few years older than she was, and she was very certain that he was going to grow into someone able to enchant any girl who looked at him because of those purple eyes alone. But he sure came off as a bit creepy, staring at her like that. "…what?"

"I couldn't help but notice how cute you are, miss," the boy continued.

"I couldn't help but notice how incredibly _creepy_ you are…" Hikari's voice said from just a few paces away. "Good Goddess, leave her be. Don't bother her."

"He's not bothering me," Canti said, eating a potato wedge. "Though I don't like being stared at, I kinda just wanna eat my lunch."

"Forgive me, miss, I did not mean offense, I only wished to meet you," the boy said, frowning just a little bit. "I am Mateus Palamecia, a third year student here in the Garden. I specialize in black magic."

Canti looked up at him from where she sat. "I am Cantirena Highwind. First year. I specialize in eating in peace now. Please let me do so." She then looked back at her chocobo strip meal and concentrated on that.

Mateus understood the request and took his leave, revealing his black magic staff hanging off his back as he walked off. There was something about how he carried himself that intrigued Canti, as she had never seen anything like this before, and only served to annoy Hikari further. He met up with other older boys, including a few with hair Canti was sure was actually silver colored.

A little bit later, Crystal came up to sit with Hikari and Canti with her lunch. Crystal could not take her eyes off of the boys in that older group. The other two girls were sure she was going to start spilling hearts out her eyes if she stared any harder.

"I'm surprised your cousin wasn't here to shoo that Mateus away," Hikari said as she ravenously ate her lunch. "He sure… seemed kinda _weird_."

"Kain is probably busy with something important right now," Canti said. "He can't be with me all the time. He said so himself."

"Tidus isn't here…" Hikari said, looking around for a second.

"Minwu isn't either."

"...wait. Are all the Second Years not here?"

"Looks like it," Crystal said. "Where'd they go?"

"Is there some sort of Second Year lunch time Initiation thing?" Hikari wondered aloud.

"That seems kinda dumb," Crystal muttered.

"And this morning's Initiation wasn't?" Canti asked, looking between the two.

"Point taken," her companions agreed.


	8. Chapter 7: Reveal

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Seven_

 _Reveal_

Canti attended Chorus after lunch, where neither of her two new friends were. An elective class open to all ages of Garden students. The only person she recognized was actually Mateus, but since he was a baritone, he was made to sit with others of a similar voice. All of the first years were made to demonstrate their ability in little solos, and Canti managed to have one that didn't seem to make everyone gasp in surprise. This was probably due to the fact that everyone was allowed in the Chorus due to their test results. All who were given the placement had the ability to sing and this class was made to give those who had potential and wished to learn how to train at it. Canti liked hiding in the crowd. Here she wasn't noticed while she was grouped with her sopranos, at least not by most people. Only by that mysterious by with the purple eyes who would not stop watching her. It didn't help that the boys were placed on stands right across from the girls' stand, either.

It wasn't until the Chorus broke apart for a moment to let their voices rest and have them all drink water that Mateus approached Canti.

"Your voice is lovely," he said to her as she sat peacefully with her little paper cone cup with water on the stands. "I would love to hear more of it."

"What is with you?" Canti asked. "You watched me eat and now you're watching me sing? Hikari was right, you are creepy."

"First off, I didn't think I would be so lucky as to have a class with you, Miss Canti," Mateus said smoothly. "It is not often a third year and first year have that opportunity." He bent down to look right into her eyes. "Secondly, my lovely, I was wondering… if perhaps, you have your eyes on someone?"

Eyes… _on_ someone? Canti was confused as hell from that question. She took another drink of her water. "My eyes are in their sockets," she said, blinking at him. "See? They're blue."

"Yes, just as blue as any other Highwind I've met," Mateus said, shrugging as if to laugh off her retort. He couldn't tell if she was being hilarious, or if she simply didn't understand metaphors. "No, I was wondering if… you have a boyfriend."

Canti had no real idea what that meant either. "I have boys who are my friends," she replied. "My cousin, Kain, and the second year with the darker skin, Minwu… and Tidus, the boy obsessed with Blitzball, and-"

"So you aren't in love with any of them?"

"In… in love?" Canti shook her head. "But I'm only ten! Papa Cid said love comes when you're older. Much _much_ older. He said, like… thirty!"

"...oh, oh, I see…" Mateus said. She had not become wise to these things yet. Canti still seemed to have the heart of a child. This was getting nowhere fast. As much as he liked her and wished to call her his own, she wouldn't have understood that. Instead, he reasoned the best way to foster a relationship where he could eventually have her was to simply befriend her now. "Then how about we start by just being friends?"

"You wanna be friends? With me?"

"I would love to. I did give you that rose, after all. Did you like it?"

Canti reached into her vest pocket to pull it out. The rose was the same color as Mateus' eyes. A very deep, enchanting purple. It reminded her of something, though she wasn't quite sure what. Maybe she saw this color in a faraway dream she couldn't remember, but it was familiar. She found herself drawn to it, taking safety in it. "I… really do like this rose," she confessed quietly. "I don't know where, but… I've seen this before. I've… felt it… somewhere…" She ran the soft petal along the line of her cheek. "Have… we met before, Mateus?"

The blonde boy shook his head. "I can't say we have, Canti. But I would like to know you more."

She nodded, putting the flower back in her pocket to prevent it from being a distraction. "Okay, new friend!"

The instructor, a woman wearing a very showy blue dress named Starlet, called everyone back to the places on the stands. "That's enough break time. Now, we're going to work on our scales before we even attempt at putting together a song." She put her fingers on the keyboard of a piano in the center of the room. "Sing with me!" The rest of the class passed with no events to pass, all of the students together singing on key with the piano, letting their voices flow together across campus.

…

Canti gathered her bag and her school-issued spear to head over to the classroom where she was supposed to start taking the Advanced Placement Mysidian class, but when she got there, the room was locked and no one was there. Instead she found a piece of paper taped to the door with a "SORRY. CLASS CANCELLED. -BISMARK."

She crossed her arms. Of course she was nervous about taking a whole other class she'd never taken before, but it seemed incredibly improper for a teacher to cancel a class on the first day. She was hoping to get some answers, but the more she stood at the door and stared up at that letter, she just grew more frustrated with it.

"...oh, if it isn't Canti!" Minwu's voice greeted her as he approached her. "So. Why are you not inside the classroom?"

Canti pointed up at he letter. "I don't get it. Where is the teacher?" she asked. "Why would he not be there for the first day?"

"It's lazy," Minwu grunted. "What kind of teacher are you, Bismark?" The two of them stood there for a bit, and Canti grew fidgety. She had a very hard time staying still, and Minwu noticed that she was uncomfortable. He put his hand on her shoulder, but all she did was back away from him suddenly. "I'm sorry, Canti. I didn't mean to scare you. I just… I know you're having a hard time just waiting…"

"Can we go do something else? Other than just stand here?" Canti asked, finding it impossible to stand still as she was. "I don't care what, so long as it's… on the quiet side. Please, I can't do this!"

"How would you like to go to the library? I have a textbook on Mysidian in my bag, and I can get you started."

"If Bismark won't be here to teach us, then we might as well," she said, standing closer to Minwu. She found him to be so polite and understanding, which made it easier to be around him. He wasn't easily excitable like Tidus, and he wasn't overly proud like Kain, and he sure didn't seem to give off that creepy vibe that Mateus carried about him. He was relaxing to be around. His voice was soft, even if he was annoyed. "Thank you, Minwu."

"Any time," he said, motioning for him to follow her. "The library is over here."

"Wait, you two," a voice said behind them. The duo turned around to see Headmaster Leviathan standing there. "Why if it isn't Cantirena Highwind and Ming Wu! Why are you not in class?"

Canti pointed at the door to show Leviathan the note.

"Cosmos _damn_ it, Bismark…" Leviathan sighed. "…well, fine, then. I must thank you, Mr. Wu, for looking after our Miss Highwind. Taking her to the library is a responsible decision. However, I came to collect her. Come along, Miss Highwind."

"I don't understand," Canti said, looking up at the headmaster. "I thought my test said I was supposed to study Mysidian. Why would you come to collect me? Have I done something wrong? I've attended every class on my schedule, and I even… I even…" She started to tear up. "I even made friends like Papa Cid told me to."

Leviathan said, patting her head, "You are not in trouble. You are a good child. But because your current class is canceled, I believe it is time to bring you into the office for something important."

Minwu nodded. "Then I will be on my way. I will see you again soon, Canti."

"I'll scold Bismark for not being here," Leviathan said. "The two of you absolutely need this. It is imperative. The placement test is never wrong."

"Are we the only two to learn Mysidian?" Minwu asked. "Seems a bit… small to have our own class."

"At present, you two are the only qualified," the headmaster said as he scooped Canti up into his arms and started to carry her away. "Don't worry. You will be studying tomorrow. I'll see to it."

Canti had no idea why the headmaster had come to carry her away, but she was afraid to fight back against him even though he held her extremely uncomfortably. He carried her to the office, past the place where she waited for him the day before, past his own office, to a place where no more students or aides were around. It was much darker here. She watched him press a few buttons on a keypad and walked into a door that was much thicker than other doors. What was this place? Why would this sort of place be in a school? Leviathan quickly shut the door behind him, pressing to lock it with his free hand.

Inside the room he took her to was a huge apparatus unlike anything Canti had ever seen before. There was a four-post bed connected to it through huge wires, and large metal bowls of some sort along the floor of the room big enough for a person to sit in. She had no idea where she was now.

Leviathan placed her on the bed. "Do not be afraid," he said to her. "This is a health scan. All students have to be scanned. Make sure you don't have any diseases to pass along to other students."

"...is-is that why Kain and Minwu weren't around at lunchtime?" Canti asked, shaking.

"That's right," he said, smiling. "Lie back. Be comfortable. Just… imagine the most peaceful place you could be in…"

Canti did as she was told. She lied back on the pillow provided, and tried to relax. The things she imagined to be peaceful were being close to her Papa Cid, cuddled underneath her favorite patchwork quilt, on the couch back at their little house. She took a deep breath, waiting for the scan to begin.

Leviathan turned on the apparatus, and the posts of the bed let out energy waves which caused her to fall into a very deep sleep. At that point, he reached under the bed to pull out some sort of helmet and placed it on her head, strapping it in place. Then, he flipped a few switches and the bowls along the floor lit up to show columns of different colored light. He went to the touch screen in the center of the panel, keying in a few commands.

 _COMMAND: REVEAL._

 _REVEAL: ALL DREAMS._

The pillars of light across the room began to show scenes, one by one, of different things. Leviathan inspected each. The first was flying on an airship with Cid, both of them clad in matching jackets. He was teaching her how to be a pilot of it. He figured this was a dream from her current mind and let it be. The second pillar of light showed a scene of Canti being older, in a ballroom dance with a man in a mask that completely hid every aspect of his face. It was hard to tell if this was from the present, so it was hard to tell if he should do something about that dream or not. The third showed Canti tied in chains in the center of a hurricane, forlorn in mind and spirit. He gasped. This was exactly what she had herself die to be rid of. She still saw it in her dreams? Was her soul to be so tortured? The last revealed her standing in front of a phoenix, petting it, even though it was made of billowing fire and contained darkness within. What kind phoenix ever carried darkness inside it? He had no idea what this was supposed to mean at all, but he made a few notes on the touchscreen file and closed it. It was ready to submit to Cosmos for inspection.

He sighed, gazing upon the girl who slept deeply there. Leviathan was assigned to be her guardian, to see to her raising as a secret weapon in hiding. How they had rebuilt her memory from the ground up, piece by piece, to fit within the realm. So she could have a peaceful life. And yet, the events of her past still existed in her dreams. Was her soul still doomed? He walked over to her, pulling the brain scanner off of her head to put it away. She would wake within a few moments now that the waves that forced her to sleep were shut off.

"Nn…" Canti groaned upon waking up. She sat up very slowly. "…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep during the scan, headmaster!"

Leviathan only helped her off the bed and let her stand on her feet. "No, no, I can tell you've had a very long day," he said. "It's fine. Since your last class has been canceled, why don't you head over to the library to study? Minwu did say he would help you with his Mysidian textbook."

"Oh. Sure…" she started like she wanted to walk off, but then she turned to look right up at him. "…sir, I don't have any diseases, do I?"

"Heavens no, you are just as healthy as you've always been," he said, turning to unlock the door. "Here. Do you remember how to get back to the library?"

"...No, I've never been there."

Leviathan snapped his fingers and a moogle wearing a black and white checkered bandanna floated about overhead. "Take the lovely Miss Highwind to the library, if you please," he commanded.

The moogle nodded and motioned for Canti to follow him. "This way, kupo!"


	9. Chapter 8: Rest

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Eight_

 _Rest_

The rest of the school day passed by without any major events. Canti spent time in the library with Minwu, reading from his Mysidian textbook about the translation between it and the common language. He studied his own book, which was written entirely in Mysidian. The two shared a table, sitting across from one another. When the bell rang, signaling that the day was over, Canti noticed that Minwu's weapon was that of a staff. It was a different kind of staff than the one Mateus carried, and she could tell by how ornately decorated that it was not a school issue. Instead of being wooden and curvy, it was finely polished. The top had a lovely little gem in the shape of a star at the top that when Minwu put his hand on it, it gave off a faint little glow. She stared at it for a little while, before he noticed her interest in it.

"That belonged to my father," Minwu said quietly. "It's called the Stardust Rod. It's known for giving extra power to white magic, helping the user grow in spirit as its used."

"You're a white mage?" Canti asked. "I… I was told I could be one."

"I am in training," Minwu said, gathering up his things. "We all are, until we graduate."

"Graduate?" Canti cocked her head to the side.

"We start at year one, at ten," he said. All his books were in his bag, and he had his staff strapped to his back the way she had her spear strapped to her own. "And we go all the way up through year ten, when we're twenty. After that, we are given the Choice to decide how we want to better our community by using our talents we have spent time training."

"And you are certain you wish to be a white mage, even now?"

Minwu nodded. "I am going to look after all of those who are wounded by the fighting that is sure to come when the enemy breaks through," he said, his eyes staring off into the distance. "I can see it. I have no idea what it is, Canti, but I know it's coming."

Canti looked up at him, worried about that distant expression. "Don't… don't say such scary things…" she said, frowning. "Let's just… head home, okay?"

He turned to look at her. He stared into her deep sea-blue eyes, sensing something about her. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, but he knew there was a connection. Minwu placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair gently. He knew he was going to need to take some time to meditate on this connection, because it was going to bother him until he knew exactly what it was. This tugged not just as his mind, but at his heart. He had never sensed anything like this with anyone else before, and it gave him a sense of foreboding. "Yes, we should," he agreed, taking a few steps to head toward the exit. "Oh. Canti…"

"Uh huh?"

"...would you like to be friends?"

"Minwu. I thought we all ready were, after you sat with us during the Blitzball game," Canti said, following him. "I would love nothing more than to be friends! Papa Cid says we all need friends. He said he was worried about me not having any friends my own age, but I seem to have made plenty."

"I am glad to hear that. I know of your difficulty in social situations… I am very glad to hear that you're adjusting to school life well enough," Minwu said, his encouraging only making Canti feel that much better.

They came out of the library to find all the other students across the school were out of class. Conversations about all sorts of things were going on everywhere around them, kids of all ages laughing, teenage couples holding hands and flirting, a few battles going on between rivals in the distance. Life continued at Dagurreo Garden Academy like any other day. As Minwu and Canti made their way around campus, Kain suddenly came like he was falling out of the sky right in front of them.

"Whoa!" Canti said, hiding behind Minwu. "Cousin!"

"I can see your cousin is continuing the Highwind tradition of fighting in the style of the dragoon," Minwu said. "Though perhaps you should aim your jump at something that isn't Canti."

"I wasn't aiming for you," Kain said, walking up to Canti to hug her. "Don't think I was trying to get you. I would never." He held her tight. "I've missed you today… I know I promised I'd look after you, but I didn't realize how apart we'd be. We should at least walk home together. I'm sure Uncle Cid is looking forward to hearing all about your adventures today."

"That's fine, Kain. I've made friends… and I have my weapon picked out… and I'm a soprano in the Chorus…" Canti said, grinning. "…oh, and Instructor Bismark went missing so I had to go in for a health scan at the office."

"Sounds like a full day, for sure," Kain said. "You think you can put up with this place for ten years before you graduate?"

"I think I'll be just fine."

"That's the spirit!"

Minwu parted ways with Kain and Canti once they came to the Cosmos statue out front of the school. He said he was going to head to the hospital, as he had training hours over there after school. It was clear he took his goal to be a white mage very seriously. His goodbye was simple, even though Canti wished he could stay with her longer. The two shared an embrace before he simply had to go.

The Highwind cousins headed to Junon Ave, which was the street Canti lived on. They talked about different teachers and the classes they were placed in. How Canti found Starlet to be a very nice lady even if her dress was a bit flashy. Kain spoke of one of his teachers, Bahamun, to be incredibly strict to a needless degree. But Kain made a mention that dragoons were known to be very careful about their training, and his father, her uncle Richard was very much like that too. Canti wondered if she wanted to be a dragoon as he detailed the strict regimen required to fulfill such a job, but as Kain spoke of it, his eyes beamed with pride. He was not only ready, but willing to accept the title of Grand Dragoon, and he didn't care who or what he had to do to get there. He spoke of his mother and father's expectations of him, even though they were high, he wanted to meet those expectations. He clearly knew his path in life, and it only made Canti reflect that much more on her own choices. If he was only a year older than she, how could he have known so much about himself all ready?

Canti pulled the keys out of her satchel, unlocking the front door to the little house she had called home for just a little over a year now. "Papa Cid?" she called out, leaning her spear against the wall and hanging her bag up on one of the nails nearby. "…Papa Cid, are you home?"

No response.

"Still working at the shipyards, I guess," Kain said, his hands on his hips. "Now what do you want to do?"

Canti kicked off her shoes and put them in the closet close to the door. "Nothing!"

"First day is always hard," Kain said. "I suppose I'd better head home, too. Do you need anything? Anything at all? I'll go bring back something to eat if you need…"

"...cousin…"

"Yes?"

"Just go home." Canti stood at the little fridge and pulled out an apple. "I'll be fine." She took a bite and stared at him. "Just wanna… be alone right now."

Kain nodded. "All right. I'm sorry if I…"

"...you didn't do anything, but if you don't go, then I'm gonna be upset. Just go, Kain."

He went for the door immediately. "Good night, Canti."

"Night, Kain."

The door closed behind him, and Canti curled up on the couch. So much stuff happened all in one day, and while at school she didn't show it very much, right now, she was beyond exhausted. She didn't even reach to turn on the Sphere. Even though she was pretty sure that _My Little Chicobo_ had to have been on by now, and on any normal day, she wouldn't have missed it. She liked Feathershy, the softspoken yellow chicobo that seemed to have problems dealing with others just as she did, and all her other feathered friends too, but… right now… just wasn't the time.

…

Cid packed up his toolbox and lunchbox, tying it to the handle to easier carry it back home. He clocked out at the terminal close to his workstation, smelling of his cigarette smoke and motor grease. He had splotches of the blackness all over his body and uniform as he gave Setzer a salute and started to walk home. He was more than tired. It took some adjusting to, having gone back to work after being just a stay-at-home dad for a year. Of course, he did notice that he wasn't willing to put up with anyone's bullshit, especially if it came from one Otto Bunansa. He uttered a string of curse words too mean to pass censorship towards his coworker as he went around the corner away from the shipyard.

He came home to the door unlocked, which worried him at first, but he noticed Canti's uniform hanging up on the wall to prevent wrinkles and her satchel hanging right next to it.

"...hey," he called out, "You home, baby girl?"

Canti stuck her head out of the walk-in shower in the corner of the room. "Papa Cid!" she said, smiling. "Let me finish."

Cid walked over to the kitchenette. "I'm using it after you," he said, using the anti-greaser he kept under the sink to scrub his hands free of all gritty sludge those engines produced. "So if you use all the hot water, I'm going to be a little annoyed." Respecting her privacy, when he knew she was coming out, he kept himself turned away. She wrapped herself in a robe and darted off to her room to put on her nightgown. "So… you hungry? I'm famished… been a long day."

Canti came out in her nightgown the same color as the sky, her twin braids having been unraveled and brushed out flat, the curls weighed down by the fact that her hair was just washed. "Not really," she said. "It has been a very long day."

"Is that so? Tell me. I want to know everything."

"Papa… you smell like engines and smoke…"

"Talk to me while I'm washing up, then."

"I can do that," she said, sitting on the couch.

The house was too small for an entire bathroom, so one corner of the living room just had a makeshift walk-in shower and the toilet was in a smaller room by itself. Cid went to his room to pull off his work uniform, pulled a towel around himself, and headed to the shower to take care of business. "So," he said, speaking over the loudness of the rushing water. "How did it go?"

"I have four classes assigned to me," Canti began. "Combat Basics, Magical Mastery, Chorus, and… the one that seemed kinda weird to me is Advanced Placement Mysidian… but the headmaster and all of my new assured me that the placement tests are never wrong, and that I am one of the only two students in the Garden who can even handle it." She looked over at the wall at her school issued spear. "I selected a weapon to study for combat training."

"I imagine you have a staff. The tests said you were highly adept with magic, from what I understood of the report," Cid said laughing. "Blasting things from the back row sounds like so much fun."

"Nope. I have a spear. Just like you, Papa Cid!"

Cid stuck his head out of the shower. "You didn't just tell me that you picked a melee weapon… you know that's dangerous as hell…"

"I had to test all sorts of weapons while I was there, but the only one that seemed to come to me naturally… was the spear," Canti said. She giggled at the sight of his head being covered in bubbles and having that concerned look on his face, as it just didn't seem to match very well. "You still have shampoo bubbles in your hair!"

"I know, but… well, I guess that proves you are a Highwind. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. You did spend a lot of time watching me practice out in the training grounds…" Cid said, going back in to finish his bathing. "…we should celebrate."

"I'm too tired to celebrate right now…" Canti yawned. "Let's just have dinner and go to bed. I have more school for four more days before we have the weekend."

"Then this weekend, we'll celebrate. And I'll give you a real lesson in fighting like a dragoon," Cid said. "Comin' out. Be warned."

"Okay!" Canti covered her eyes and Cid opened the curtain of the makeshift shower, grabbing his towel and running out to his room to put on his usual sleeping clothes. "You in a safe place, Papa?"

"Yep."

Canti pulled her hands away from her face. "Since we're all ready in our pajamas, we can't go anywhere now. That's fine. I don't really wanna."

"We can call a pizza delivery service, if you want. I have a menu pinned up on the corkboard," Cid said from his bedroom. He pulled on a shirt and his shorts, his typical sleeping clothes. "How's that sound?"

"I guess that sounds okay," she said, shrugging. Canti went over to the corkboard and pulled the menu off of it. She read through the list of toppings. "Lots of greens and veggies, different kinds of meats and cheeses…" soon she came to a few things she didn't quite understand. "Huh? I don't even know what this is…"

Cid came out, combing his short blonde hair. "What what is?"

Canti held up the menu. "What is Carob powder?"

Cid laughed bashfully. " _That's_ a pizza ingredient now?" he asked, taking the menu from her hands. He read the paragraph above it, noticing how it had a little blurb about being for that 'special somebody'. "…it's a grown up thing. Certainly not for children your age. I say you wait until you're at least thirty. Maybe not even then."

"Everything seems to happen when we turn thirty… I had to tell a boy today that you said love doesn't happen until then, too," Canti said, crossing her arms.

"...a boy?" Cid's eyes narrowed.

"He said he wanted to be my boyfriend…"

"He… I'm sorry, he _what_ now?"

"I told him that I have lots of boys who are my friends… Tidus is nice even if he's loud and Minwu is kind and helps me study and Kain is my cousin…" Canti explained, looking up at him. "I have no idea why he would ask that. I don't even know what the difference is between a boy who is a friend and a boyfriend." She sighed. "He gave me a flower."

Cid eyed his spear, the Venus Gospel, thinking of all the ways a human body could be skewered. "A flower…"

"Yeah. He gave me a purple rose."

"...now that sounds familiar," Cid said. "Very familiar… one of the richer families from the north side of town has that as their insignia. If I'm not mistaken, the Palamecian Monster Ranch has a purple rose as their crest."

"That was his name! Mateus Palamecia! He is in Chorus with me as a baritone. A Third year."

Cid shook his head. "I don't like that. I might have to find the time to speak with his father… there's no way I'm letting you get drawn into that life, pumpkin. Not a chance in hell. Senate member Matteo Palamecia is infamous for starting corrupt deals with other senate members, including taking bribes. Ohhh no. Not even. You need to steer clear of that boy."

"I don't understand…"

"The Palamecian family has done some pretty bad stuff, and the last thing I want is for you to get dragged into _that_ ," Cid said, sitting her down on the couch. "Dragon meat, extra cheese sound good for our pizza?"

"Sounds yummy!" Canti said, though she was still confused about his commentary. Must have been a grown up thing. Mateus gave her a creepy vibe, but she didn't think there was anything wrong with him.

"I'll call it in on the Sphere."

Canti went up to the bookshelf and grabbed one. Once Cid was done placing the call, he saw her sitting there with a black book emblazoned with big white letters. "…let's read!"

"...hey, that's the choose your adventure book I got you right after I brought you here," Cid said, sitting with her again. "We haven't read it since then. _Undertale._ "

"It's my favorite book!" she said. "So let's read it!"

Once she curled up on him, he held the book open so they both could see the contents of the book. "A long time ago, there was a country that had both humans and monsters. For a while, they lived in peace. A war broke out between the two, and the humans sealed away the monsters underground." Cid stopped to let her read the words on the page herself before he moved on to the next passage. "A barrier was placed to keep the monsters underground forever, and only a magic spell could break it. In the year 201X, a child from a nearby human village climbed up the mountain and fell into a hole that led into the underground world of monsters."

"Papa…"

"...hmm?"

"What's 201X mean?"

"It means any year that begins with the number 201… so, from 2010 to 2019. The x is just a variable."

"Why didn't they just pick a year?"

"I'm not a writer, sweetheart, I have no idea."

"...ah well. Let's just continue the story."

Cid moved on to the next passage. "The child woke in a place full of bright yellow flowers, and in the center of them was a very big flower with a face. The flower said 'Hi. I'm Flowey the Flower. I'm your best friend!"

"Mean old flower!" Canti shouted at the book.

"...yeah, he sure is…" Cid agreed.

Together they kept reading until their pizza was delivered. And they shared their pizza while they kept reading, making their decisions and turning to the appropriate page to see how their choices unfolded. Cid let Canti make all the decisions to see where the story would go, and it seems that just like the first time they read the book together a year before, Canti made the choice to save the monsters. By the end of it, the two had shared half the pizza and Canti was falling asleep against him. Cid carried her to bed and tucked her in after wiping her face of the pizza sauce, leaving her to fall asleep to her dreams of wandering the underground and meeting all sorts of funny monster friends.


	10. Chapter 9: Revision

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Nine_

 _Revision_

The moment Canti had passed out after sharing in her favorite book and munching on pizza, Cid turned to the apparatus that was mandatory for every household within Dagurreo - the Sphere. It was used for broadcasting programs, sending and receiving messages, and all sorts of communication. Even though it wasn't exactly the same shape as a sphere, it was called that as a sign of unity between all of the residents of the community being a part of it. There was a touchscreen command input window, a keyboard with all of the common language letters and numbers, a few buttons and switches, and atop all of that was a rather large screen. Every Sphere unit had a number on the very top of the screen, a mix of letters and numbers beginning with a pound sign, which would connect any unit around the country to that particular unit. It made long distance communication much easier than it used to be just with normal Mognet, and the system was implemented as a major part of Dagurreo life about ten years ago.

Cid put in a combinations of letters and numbers on the keyboard and pressed the call button on the touchscreen. It buzzed a few times, before showing the picture of a very beautiful woman with shoulder length curly blonde hair.

"Oh, Cid!" she said, smiling. "To what do we owe the pleasure of this call?"

"Elina," Cid said, bowing his head a little in respect. "Is my asshat brother around?"

"Yes, he's home. Let me go get him for you," Elina said, turning to leave the camera's view. "Richard, dear. You have a call! It's your brother!"

A few minutes later, Richard came into the camera. He breathed heavily, appearing as if he had just gotten right out of battle. He pushed his dragoon's helmet over his face to be able to look his little brother in the eyes, even if he seemed just as condescending as always. "Well, then. How's that dingy workshop treating you, brother?"

"I'm not here to complain about my work. At least I know my place, unlike some overachievers I know around here," Cid said. "No, something's come up and I want you to look into it for me."

"Oh…" Richard said. His mood instantly changed. Gone was that joking, teasing attitude. "Sounds serious."

"If it wasn't serious, then I would not be bringing it up to you, Richard. I wouldn't trouble you. The son of one Matteo Palamecia has taken interest in my daughter," Cid said, almost growling. "Why in the name of the great dragon would one of them arrogant pieces of shit have eyes for my ten year old?"

"Senator Palamecia's son?" Richard asked. "Oh… this reeks of trouble."

"My exact reaction when she told me," Cid said sternly. "What the hell would he be doing looking to be the boyfriend of a ten year old girl with severe social anxiety?"

"I am not a Senator, but… I might be able to find something out," Richard said, sighing. "All right, little brother. I care for my niece, too. I'll see what I can do about this. I have more clout than you do in the political scene, after all."

"Don't go bragging. You might be the Grand Dragoon in the eyes of the country, but you are also my asshat older brother," Cid said, breaking out into laughter. "How'd Kain take the first day back?"

"Kain is a prideful young man, but there is limitless potential in him," Richard said, beaming with the same pride he chided Kain for having a moment ago. Cid made a mental note of that. Perhaps in Richard wasn't so damn prideful, his son would have been able to hold a little humility himself. "All of us who carry the title of dragoon have known to be prideful over the years. It certainly doesn't hurt."

"Heh. Turns out when the first yeas did their weapon choosin', Cantirena took a spear for herself," Cid said. He shrugged.

"Now that must be because she has pride in you," Richard said. "I can't imagine Canti being prideful in herself. But… we're all proud of something, aren't we? Though I thought the tests said she had talent for magic."

The mechanic nodded. "See, that's what I thought, too, but… no. She brought a school-issued spear home tonight. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, she is a Highwind all the same. Adopted or not, she bears the name."

"Mm," Richard agreed. "This is the truth of it, little brother. Another dragoon in the family… I suppose we may have to celebrate this. Last year we had a party for Kain. Let's plan something for Cantirena."

"Now you're talkin'!" Cid said. "All right, then. I won't keep you any longer. From the sweat on your brow, you were just giving Kain an intense training session."

"He requested it of me. He plans to be my successor in all ways, even as the Grand Dragoon of the Warriors of the Water," Ricard explained, putting his hands on his hips. "He spoke once of planning on taking a bride, but only if she were equal in strength to him… I fear that boy may be alone his whole life. Dragoons are among the mightiest in Dagurreo."

"Ah, who cares about that kind of thing?"

"Someone has to carry along the Highwind bloodline. Whoever Cantirena marries, she will join with them. She cannot be expected to stand on her own, Cid," Richard said plainly. "And don't give me that look. You know she will fall in love. You may have been a solitary one in favor of your work, but you have a daughter. Girls seek out romance."

"Sounds kinda sexist to me, brother."

"Oh. You shouldn't argue about it. How much time have you spent with women, aside from your daughter? Back during our years at Garden, they thought you were gay."

"I gave absolutely zero fucks then about what people thought about me, and I give just as many now. I'm a father, and that's all that matters," Cid said. "Well, I've had just about enough of you tonight, Richard. If I have to see you this weekend, I better start saving up my daily patience. I'm gonna need every ounce I can muster up to deal with you for an entire afternoon."

"I love you, too," Richard laughed. "Fuckwit."

"Asshat."

The call disconnected and Cid turned away from the Sphere. He hoped Richard would be able to use some of his political pull to find out what was going on with that situation before going to check on Canti one final time for the night. He found her flopped over in a weird position half hanging off her bed. Cid adjusted her gently, placing her back on her bed evenly.

"Nn…" Canti groaned in her sleep. "…Papa?"

" _Shhhh_ …" he whispered in her ear. He pulled her patchwork quilt over her body, tucking her in. "...go back to sleep."

"But I… have to get… the goggles…"

Cid shook his head. She must still be dreaming. "You do that…" He kissed her forehead, and got back up, walking out of the room.

…

The next morning, Cid woke up to the sound of his alarm which made the sound of chocobos warking loudly. He must have hit the snooze button a few times before he actually pulled himself out of bed. He found Canti half-asleep and barely dressed when he came out of his room.

"Hey, baby girl, you all right?" he asked, but she didn't say much of anything. Cid had known her for over a year now, and he knew that there were some times that she would be open for conversation and some times when she simply wasn't. He offered to make her breakfast and she just reached into the fridge to pull out a tub of cut up fruit, sitting at the tiny table they shared their meals at every day since they came to live there. "All right, then. I know when I'm not wanted."

"Papa…" Canti said after she picked out all of the strawberries from the tub.

"What's wrong?"

"I had a dream… a nightmare."

Cid sat down at the table with her once he made his cup of coffee. "What was it about?"

"Minwu said yesterday that he could see the evil that comes, that is beyond the border of our country," she said. "I… I saw it. It came. Broke through the barrier. It absorbed the powers of all it came in contact with… It was darkness beyond our understanding…" Her expression was distant. "I couldn't save anyone. Even though, even though I was told I had to fight against it. I was helpless…" Tears fell from her eyes as she looked at him, fraught with unfathomable worry. "…I couldn't save _you_."

Cid's brow furrowed. "It wasn't real. It was just a nightmare. You don't have to worry about the enemy. Cosmos herself erected the barrier to protect Dagurreo from all who would seek to destroy us." He put his hand on her head, but that didn't seem to comfort her very much. "I'm right here. I will always be here."

"Papa Cid…"

"And it's _my_ job to protect _you_ ," he said, ruffling her hair affectionately. "I am a Warrior of the Water, one of the Dragon Knights, specifically so I am able to protect you. So don't you worry none. My spear is enough to fend off any enemy."

She sniffled, turning away from him. "I need to finish getting ready for school…"

"You need any help?"

"No. I think… I'll be fine…" she gulped down a bit more fruit and hopped out of her chair to finish putting on her uniform. "Though I was thinking of taking some of the leftovers for my lunch. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, we'll split it."

Canti grabbed her lunchbox and Cid got it ready while she dressed. She was ready to go in another five minutes, once she finally got the thoughts of her nightmare out of her mind. Before she could give him a hug and head out the door, there was a loud knock on it.

Cid answered. "Yeah?"

"Good morning, Mr. Highwind!" Crystal stood there, all dressed in her uniform with her school issued hammer strapped to her back and her bag full of school supplies. And Hikari was there behind her. "We were wondering if Canti would like to walk to school with us this morning."

Cid found himself immediately embarrassed to still be wearing his pajamas in front of two schoolgirls. "Canti, pumpkin, you take care of this... I'm not decent." He darted back to his room and closed the door.

"If I would have known you were coming, I could have told him to wear his robe at the very least," Canti said. "Decided to surprise me, huh?"

"Well since we all have first class together, why not?" Hikari asked.

Canti nodded, grabbing her lunchbox to tuck inside her satchel and strapping her spear to her back. "We might as well… you did come all this way looking for me."

"Canti, I live right across the street from you," Crystal pointed at her house. She shook her head. "Did you forget all ready?"

"...yes?" Canti grinned sheepishly.

"And I thought my memory was just too fast to keep up with," Hikari muttered.

Canti went back to knock on Cid's bedroom door. "I'm off, Papa Cid. I'll see you tonight."

"Of course… I love you!"

"Love you, too."

The trio headed out and Canti closed the door behind her. There was so much to do today, an she wasn't exactly ready for it. Even though she wasn't tearful over it, and the memory was fading the more she was awake, the thoughts of her nightmare haunted her as she walked sandwiched between her two friends.

"Hey, Canti?" Hikari said, calling Canti from her thoughts.

"Mm?"

"You okay? Are you sick or something?"

"I don't think you'd understand it if I told you," Canti said quietly.

"Try me," Hikari said with a shrug.

"I had a nightmare."

Hikari stopped asking immediately. It seemed as if she had a similar experience, with that reaction in her eyes.

Crystal turned her head to look at both the girls walking with her. "What about?"

"Minwu said he knew what it is yesterday," Canti said. "I want to talk to him about it…"

"I'm confused," Crystal said. "What was it about?"

"The enemy they speak of," Hikari answered. "The one we're all supposed to be training to stand up against if it ever breaks through the barrier."

"You had it, too?!" Canti asked. "Did you see… someone die? Was it my Papa Cid?!"

"I did see someone die, but it wasn't your dad," Hikari mumbled. "It was _mine_."


	11. Chapter 10: Repetition

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Ten_

 _Repetition_

Second day of school went a lot more smoothly than the first. There was no Initiation to worry about, and everyone seemed to know where they were going. Canti found Combat Basics to be a great workout for the beginning of the day, once she got the hang of it. Thrust, parry. Thrust, parry. She put all of her effort into it, and it made her sweat from every pore of her tiny body. The task was to work at it until the motions felt natural. Every morning for the first few weeks, it would start with this. Shivan made that clear. Hundreds of reps, over and over again, until it became clockwork. Have the body memorize every single aspect. The weight of the weapon in her hands, the muscles that it made sore. Those would be the ones that they would spend the wind down time honing before being dismissed to the next class. It was a finely oiled machine, this process. It had trained thousands of other fighters who lived all through the country. Dagurreo Garden Academy, was, first and foremost, a training facility for defenders of the land. Headmaster Leviathan said as much in the morning announcements.

"Are you holding up all right?" Crystal asked once Canti let her tired muscles relax enough to fall flat on the grass below. She stood over her friend, gazing down at her. Crystal seemed much more able to hold her hammer, like her hands were simply able to hold more weight.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Canti said, using a cloth to wipe away the sweat from her forehead. "I'm… just, kinda worn out, is all."

"Never thought trying to lift my grandpa's work hammer would have helped so much," Crystal said, going back to her reps. "Man! I got this! Easy peasy!"

Hikari suddenly appeared at Canti's side with a cup of water. "Here!"

Canti took it. "How'd… wait, weren't you just training over there?"

"Saw you flop over, so…" Hikari shrugged. "It's no big deal. I'm pretty fast. Figured you might need some help." Even though her sword movements were unsteady at first from being untrained, there was no denying how fast she moved.

"You certainly are," Canti agreed. Once she finished her water, she picked her spear back up and went back at it. Even though she was worn out, seeing her friends keep going made her want to keep at it, too. She just hoped that none of her classes were as taxing as this today. She let out her own sounds of aggression during her practice thrusts, but they were lost in the crowd of all the first years practicing their attacks. Hundreds of kids, all with weapons of all kinds, were doing nothing but attacking the air. Learning, memorizing, until their weapons became second nature, an actual part of themselves.

After a solid hour of constant sweaty workout, the bell signaling the end of the first class rang. Luckily, there was a twenty minute break time, which gave every sweaty student the chance to shower before heading off to the next one. Canti stood in the warm water, just letting her body relax in it.

"Caaaaaaaaaaaanti."

"...what?"

"Are you ready for Maaaaaagical Maaaaaastery?"

She turned to look at Hikari. "Your attempt to cheer me up is more annoying than funny. Please stop stretching your 'A' sounds out like that." Canti decided now was the best time to get out of the shower, dressing rather quickly.

Crystal walked out of the shower, wrapped in a towel. "I hope that's not a status effect I have to cure with a hammer to your head, there, Hikari." She turned away to dress.

"I thought you two would find it funny." Hikari sounded disappointed.

"You wanna know something actually funny?" Crystal asked. "My grandpa told me that about thirty years ago, someone took a whole bunch of maple syrup and covered the Garden in it just to turn the place into a gigantic slip-n-slide."

"...you're kidding," Hikari said, bursting out into laughter.

Canti fixed her skirt. "Wait. Must have been a dummy, because you can't slide on syrup. It's _sticky_."

"...yeah. Grandpa said that's why the guy was caught! He got stuck to Headmaster Leviathan's door while sliding around!"

There was a moment of silence between them before they all busted out laughing.

Shivan walked through at that exact moment. "Oh dear. It sounds like people are _still_ talking about that event…" she said, chuckling herself. "…poor Bismark will never live that one down."

"Wait? It was _Bismark_?" Canti asked curiously. "The same Bismark that was missing yesterday? The one in charge of teaching Mysidian?"

"Yes. Instructor Bismark was quite the silly one in his youth, and he's still kind of silly now," Shivan answered. "Though if I'm right, Bahamun and Ifreet put him up to it on a dare… I'm pretty sure he never would have thought to raid the cafeteria for syrup on his own." She turned to look at the girls. "You three are the last ones in here. I suggest you get a move on."

"Right! Sorry about that!" Canti said, hurrying to put her uniform on.

…

Hikari and Canti had the class Magical Mastery together, though they were seated very far apart. This was due to the Instructor Ifreet's ability to sense budding friendships and force friends who would talk to each other to be on opposite sides of the room to prevent distraction. As they had spent the first day going over the various kinds of magic, from the healing holy White, to the destructive Black, to the incredibly hard to master monster-skill Blue, and the status changing Green; the first real class session was all about learning the first spell in the school of magic of their choice. After all, every one had been tested, and if there was no magical potential within, they would not have been here. That's why Crystal was in some other class while Hikari and Canti were in this one without her.

"Wait! Instructor Ifreet!" one girl said from her seat. "If we choose Blue Magic, how are we going to learn our first spell without a monster around?"

"Ah. Well, that's a perfectly good question, Quistis. If you blue mage apprentices will go with my moogle to the room full of monsters through this door, you will all be trying to learn the spell Magic Hammer today," Ifreet said, pointing at the door right next to his blackboard. "Bring your weapons. As for the rest of you… get out your textbooks. White mages will transcribe the spell Cure, Black Mages will transcribe the spell Fire, and Green Mages will transcribe the spell Haste. I want them all copied neatly ten times and on my desk before the class bell rings."

The blue mages filed out as they were told, while the rest of the apprentice magicians got to doing their paperwork. Canti wasn't sure if she was glad to have chosen White Magic for study, as it sounded pretty scary to fight a monster and learn a spell from it. Based on what she read, blue mages either had to be hit by a spell or see a spell hit someone else before they could learn it - she wasn't really sure which it was. Instead, she took out a quill and inkpot and began to copy the symbols in her textbook onto the paper for Cure. It was the simplest of white magic spells. Why did it seem so overly complicated?

"Cure, and all white magic spells, come from the spirit… Without a strong spirit, the light of cure cannot take effect," she read from the book. She wondered where she had heard that before, because the words were eerily similar to something she had heard before. Canti gave it some good thought. What did it mean to have a strong spirit? Did she have a strong spirit? How did one get a strong spirit in the first place? She was careful in how she wrote each symbol on the paper, trying to concentrate on just that one simple task. While her body was exhausted from the workout in Combat Basics, she felt her mind being drained while writing the transcription for Cure somehow. Did it take actual magic power to write these, but she just simply didn't know it?

The room was silent except for the shuffling of papers, turning of pages and pushing of quills. A few kids let out a groan in frustration after writing out a few spell transcriptions. One even fainted, which caused the Instructor to simply have him laid flat nearby to rest, and then scold other students for staring.

"We all have different mental capacities. The more we work our minds, the stronger we will grow. He may not have much power now, but given time, it will come to him," Ifreet said, tapping desks to call each of the students back to their work. "And, yes… that feeling in you as you write the symbols is working the flow of energies in your mind. You must have been wondering what that sensation was… right now, we are building our mental power. As of now, you may not even have the ability to cast magic. This young fellow here does not."

Canti kept writing her symbols. It seemed as if all she was doing was building up her abilities, slowly, like grinding sandpaper against a rough piece of pottery to smooth it out. First thing in the morning, everyone used their weaponry over and over again. And here, working with the papers, the symbols, all was prepping her mind and helping her grow in magical power. She finished the tenth page within an hour, and some students hadn't finished half of their assignment. But, boy, did her mind feel dizzy. She wanted to get up and turn in her work, as she was instructed, but as she stood up, she hobbled back over into her chair.

"Miss Highwind," Ifreet called to her. "You may want to rest a bit before you try to move. While your potential has been noted to me, you still have no training as of now. Sit down and wait a little while before you come to turn it in."

"...yes, but, I… you told us to turn it in…" she answered, putting her hands to her head. "I just wanted to… complete the assignment, sir."

"Part of completing the assignment is realizing your mental state," Ifreet said. "This will happen as you all continue to exercise your minds at this. Slowly we will build up your mental strength before we even get to spellcasting."

Another kid groaned. "You mean we can't cast spells until we've done all this?!"

"That's exactly right," Ifreet said with a nod. "Magic takes preparation. _Extensive_ preparation. All you do can be blown right off course if you aren't careful enough, and it's possible to erase your entire mind if you try to cast a spell and not have the proper mental power to contain it. It could cost you your life. Magic in and of itself is dangerous."

Canti took a very deep breath as she considered all of this information. Why would anyone want to use magic if it could cost them their mind? Or even their life? Was all this work worth it to fester all these powers? Some people lived in homes very magic friendly, and they had known its wonders, but Canti lived with Papa Cid. He was a machinist and dragoon, relying on science and technology for all he did both in home life and in work. She wasn't sure what to make of the concept of magic, really. Sure, she tested and the potential was detected, but did she really want to do it? Did she even have a choice?

After a good twenty more minutes, Canti was able to stand up and carry her spell transcription paperwork to the instructor's desk. Very few other students were able to do this, and she wasn't sure what to make of that fact. He told her to gather her things to go, and that she was free to head to lunch early if she wished, as there was no other assignment for this class. There was only about fifteen minutes left in class, and it honestly seemed like most would not be able to complete the task before lunch began.

She did as she was told, wandering over to the same place where she had lunch the day before and pulling out her lunchbox. Dragon meat pizza, leftover from the night before. Even if it was cold, she didn't mind. It was better than dealing with all the nonsense of waiting in line. Canti pulled it up to her mouth and was ready to chow down, when the same voice that interrupted her yesterday crept into her ears unexpectedly.

"Why, it seems you have come here again."

"Mateus?" Canti asked. "Do you just… like to hang out in this one place, or something?"

"I like this tree," Mateus answered, pressing against it. After a few shakes, a few pieces of fruit fell from it. One landed in Canti's lap. A peach. "It's a magical tree. If you shake it, it'll give you your favorite fruit."

Canti cocked up an eyebrow. "It won't give me mine."

"And why not?" Mateus picked up a peach and dusted it off on his uniform.

"My favorite fruit doesn't grow on a tree," she said. "Cantaloupe does not grow on a tree."

Mateus frowned. "Well that's…" he seemed a tad disappointed. "…and here I thought I'd have a way to impress you with this tree."

"Mateus…" Canti took a bite of her pizza. "…Papa Cid said I should stay away from you."

"...that's disheartening to hear."

"Because your family is trouble, he said."

Mateus shook his head. "I have nothing to do with the transgressions of my father, just as you have nothing to do with what your father does at work. How can you judge me for what my father does, when I do not judge you for what your father does?"

Canti took another bite. "My Papa is a mechanic and retired pilot."

"And that is honest and good work, beneficial for all of our community, but it has nothing to do with you yourself," Mateus said, crossing his arms. "You are your own person, Cantirena Highwind. You should be judged on your merits, and your merits alone."

"Get _away_ from my cousin!" A lance came down from the sky, with Kain directing it. He landed only a few inches from Mateus as a warning, and he could have easily run his spear through the upperclassman if he so wanted. "My father told me all about your schemes to _brainwash_ her!"

"... _what_?" both Mateus and Canti asked at the same time.

"Kain, you have your spear too far up your delicious tush to realize I am only trying to befriend your cousin," Mateus said kindly. "She and I share a class together in the afternoon, and I would dare not hurt her. Canti is a sweet girl."

Kain put his arms out and stood in front of Canti. "You won't dare come near her. Not now, not ever. You… pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert, Kain…" Mateus said, shaking his head.

"Summer camp last year says otherwise! You aren't gonna hurt her… not like you did _me_ …"

The black mage only walked on. "I'll see you in Chorus, Canti. Have a good rest of your day, Kain." As he continued, he only groaned. "…Highwinds… why is the girl with the most magic potential in our school a damn Highwind?"

Kain immediately turned to his cousin. "He didn't hurt you, did he? He didn't… Cosmos forbid… touch you, did he?!"

Canti was only confused. "He didn't even put a finger on me. He seems like he just wants a friend. I get he feeling that he's really lonely, Kain."

"That guy isn't in the market to make friends," Kain said, sitting next to her. "He wants people to use, to further his own position. That's what he does. That's what that whole family does!"

"Maybe he's different?" she suggested. "He did say that just because Papa Cid is a mechanic that it doesn't have any bearing on me, and that I should be judged just on my own merits… and he's right about that. I'm not a mechanic. I don't do that work just because he does."

"That's different, cousin."

"I think he is different. We should give him a chance."

"No way! I know Mateus in a way you don't! You can't trust him! He will only hurt you, why don't you see that?"

Canti looked on. Was there something she could do for Mateus?


	12. Chapter 11: Reconsider

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Eleven_

 _Reconsider_

After lunch, Canti had Chorus. All they did was practice hitting notes as a group, Canti being a soprano. She exchanged glances with Mateus a few times who was on the other side of the room with the boys, but he did not approach her. It seems what Kain had done scared him away. Which is what Kain fully intended to do, from what both of them could see. Canti felt bad for Mateus. She wanted to be his friend, but how could she if her Papa Cid and the rest of the family forbade it? She couldn't go behind Papa Cid's back. That would be the same as lying, and the house rules were always simple.

 _No lying, no cheating, and no stealing_ , Cid said to her the day he adopted her. _Honesty is all I ask of you. If you can go through life being honest about everything, then the rest will all fall into place._

When the Chorus had a break, Mateus sat by himself, just staring off blankly at nothing. Canti decided to bring him a cup of water. She approached him and offered him the paper cone cup, smiling at him.

"You do not wish to be around me," Mateus said. "Please, don't bother."

"Mateus," Canti said. "…I want to be your friend. I believe you were absolutely right during lunch when you told me that a person should only be judged on their own merit. And…" even though she wasn't sure of much of anything regarding who he was out of school, she did want to follow her heart. "…even if your father isn't someone I'd want to be around, I think you at least deserve a chance."

He turned his head to look at her. Even though her cousin had pulled that stunt and said all those things, she still seemed to have some faith in him. He didn't understand why. Canti seemed to have some sort of purity about her, which wouldn't mix with his family. Mateus knew that. His father was not a nice man by any stretch of the imagination, and he knew that his father would encourage him to take advantage of such an opening. He sensed her power, he saw it during Initiation, and Mateus wanted it. He couldn't help himself in hungering for it. If he could groom her to being his bride later on in life, then that power would be at his disposal, which meant he could do more for the Palamecian family. But that innocence which shined through her smile, through her gentle blue eyes… to betray that… it weighed heavily on his mind.

"A… a chance?" Mateus asked.

"Everyone deserves an honest chance," Canti said. "Papa Cid told me that the day he adopted me."

"You… you're adopted?" Mateus asked, finally taking the water she offered him.

"Mhm," she replied. "The day I turned nine, a man that looks very much like Headmaster Leviathan introduced me to Papa Cid while I was at the Westside Orphanage. I was a difficult child, the caretakers said, they wanted to get rid of me. But Papa Cid, he bent down on one knee and said 'everyone deserves an honest chance'. He signed the papers, and I went home with him. Small place, squished between bigger houses, but… perfect anyway." Canti sat beside him on the stand where the boys usually stood during Chorus.

 _No wonder she seethes with magical power… she isn't a born Highwind._ Mateus thought, drinking all of the water in one gulp. "But… what about what your family has to say about… mine?"

"Kain will tell Uncle Richard if he sees, but… at least while we're in Chorus, we can at least talk, right? You and I are classmates, and if anyone asks, I can say we have the same assignment or something," she suggested.

"...how adorably clever of you."

Canti looked down at the floor, hesitant. "It… it isn't _lying_ , is it?" she asked.

"Would that be a bad thing?" Mateus wondered. He lied to his family all the time without even giving a care what they thought about anything, because it made things easier on him to do so, and his father never took the time to see if what his son said was true or not.

"Papa Cid detests liars… I've never lied to him before!"

"Mm, I could see why that would scare you," he said gently, which seemed a bit odd. Canti expected that tone from someone like Minwu. Upon hearing that, the blonde boy's heart seemed to change right in front of her. "I do not wish to make your home life more difficult for you, Canti. It is best you do as your father tells you. Please. Put my heart at ease and leave me be."

Canti frowned. "Y-you… really feel that way?"

"Yes. It is best if I am alone. I… do not wish to hurt you."

Canti turned around and went back to her place within the girls' stand, unable to let that thought go. She stared at him from there, unable to get that out of her head. What did Mateus mean, he didn't want to hurt her? And what did Kain mean before, when he mentioned that Mateus had hurt him in the past? How frightful! Everyone went back to following Starlet's lead in singing, and it all sounded great, but… she still felt terrible for him.

…

Canti found Minwu standing outside Bismark's classroom again, just like the day before. She almost turned around to leave, but she crashed into a chubby man with skin as pale as a whale's. He smelled like saltwater, similar to Leviathan, but still different. The moles on his bare arms and neck looked like tiny little fishes and bubbles, as if he himself was a being of the ocean. He had whispy blue hair and a nose as wide as a moogles, with creases all along it.

"Forgive me, sweet girl," he said suddenly, turning to unlock the door. "Headmaster told me that you two waited here for me yesterday. Well, wait no longer. I have come."

"Does that mean you're Bismark?" Canti asked, even though Minwu all ready knew the answer.

"I am indeed," the man said, smiling. "Come in, come in!" He pushed the door open and there was only one semi-circle desk filled with all sorts of books. "Now, you two are learning Mysidian. Which is a complicated, mystical, ancient language. Your tests said you both have the potential for it, and-"

"Sir. My parents speak exclusively Mysidian at home," Minwu said quietly. "I had to take extensive common language lessons my first year." He sat at the table and made a gesture for Canti to take a seat next to him.

"Ah, yes, yes, the Headmaster has informed me of this," Bismark said, pointing up to the chalkboard. "The first, and only rule I have, is that you two may talk about absolutely anything among yourselves while we have our study sessions - but you must speak in Mysidian. For example, if the two of you were both following Blitzball, and you wanted to talk about the most recent game, then I would have no problems with that. You just have to do it in Mysidian. The best way to learn a language is to speak it, after all."

"As long as we use the language," Canti repeated. She remembered as she sat there next to Minwu about how she wanted to discuss her nightmare with him. But it was such a complicated thing to talk about, how could she even try to speak in a language she didn't know? "I guess you'll just listen in and help as you need?"

"I am more just a facilitator than an actual instructor," Bismark noted with a nod. His voice sounded like crashing waves on a beach, and as he spoke, he fingered the charm on his necklace which was in the shape of a whale. He looked down at his mostly empty desk, speaking more absentmindedly than anything. "To be honest, I'm not even that fluent… none of us are anymore, since Mysidian is such an ancient language and the land isn't even in our barrier… I don't even know why Leviathan even wants to teach it to _just_ you two. And one of you even knows it all ready! What gives?!"

"Um." Canti said sheepishly. "Instructor Bismark…?"

"Yes, sweet girl? What can I help you with?"

"Sir, we heard everything you just said," she answered, motioning to mean both her and Minwu. "I… I don't think you meant to say all that."

Bismark blinked in confusion. "Was I just speaking? I thought I was just thinking to myself."

Minwu just put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head at her, pointing at one of the many textbooks lying on the table. She opened it, and he whispered in her ear, " _la tus'al_." Then, he directed her to another page, helping her find the translation for it. Canti read it and nodded, indicating she understood what he meant. Then, Minwu smiled and asked, " _madha turid alttahadduth ean_?"

Canti let her eyes go over all of the book, even turning pages to search for what that meant. When he noticed she was anxiously searching for what that meant, he asked her a few more times so she could not be so upset about it. Canti finally found that exact question in a section about casual conversation after about twenty minutes of looking for it. She marked that page and went turning through more pages to look for her answer. Eventually, Canti found it, but she wasn't sure if she was pronouncing it right.

" _ahlam_."

Bismark clapped at their attempt at a conversation. He sounded absolutely giddy about this, as it seemed he wasn't going to have to do much for them aside from have his classroom unlocked for them to use the materials. "Excellent!" he said. "Headmaster Leviathan will be thrilled to know how far you've come!"

"...I've only said one word!" Canti grunted. "Instructor Bismark, did I even say it right?"

Bismark shrugged.

Minwu sighed. "I'd be a better teacher at this than you," he said in frustration. "Dear Cosmos, what is the point of you even being here?!"

The instructor said flatly, "Leviathan wanted the two of you to have a class alone and I'm charged with babysitting you and testing you every grading period. And I have to listen, because he's my older brother."

"I don't think you were supposed to say that, either," Canti said. "You really are absentminded."

"I am reporting this," Minwu said sternly. "Having a class with just two students is a little jarring, but having an instructor who does literally no instructing… not even knowing if a word is said directly… in a language he is supposed to know?" He was livid as he stood up in defiance.

Bismark flopped on his desk. "Please don't tell… I _can't_ get fired… I don't have any other jobs…"

"I don't care! You provide nothing useful at all! If you're supposed to be teaching this language, how about you actually learn it, you lazy good for nothing gadabout!" Minwu shouted at him. When he noticed that his anger was scaring Canti, he sat back down immediately. "Oh. I… I'm so very sorry, Cantirena, I did not mean to frighten you!"

"I don't like… loud voices…" she said, putting her hands over her ears. "Please don't get mad…" Canti put her head to the desk, trying just to block out the loudness. "Please stop…"

Minwu hugged her and pulled her close. He channeled relaxing energy though his hands and placed them onto her back, while chanting, " _takun ealaa alssalam_ " over and over again.

Canti wasn't sure where she heard those words before, but she knew she had heard them in the past. In a dream, perhaps, or maybe in another life entirely. They were comforting, causing her anxiety and fear to melt away. His voice repeated those words and it made her just latch onto him for security. Why did she know those words? Mysidian… what a curious language. She knew nothing of it, but for some reason when she heard Minwu say those words, telling her to be at peace in the most gentle tone she'd ever heard a voice speak in, she seemed to understand. It was as if a key had unlocked a treasure chest deep within. Feelings, thoughts… words formed inside her… words she did not remember hearing, but she simply knew she heard them somehow.

"Minwu…" she said, pulling away from him. "…I know those words. I've heard them before. How do I… know them?"

"I could not answer your question, Canti. I have no idea. I just wanted to calm you," Minwu said. "So… I used a technique I use on patients who have severe anxiety over at the hospital. Chanting Mysidian has magical power that normal magic does not."

"That's because it is a language developed by a society of mages," Bismark said. "The country of Mysidia is a holy place, where people with magical powers from all around would come to study. As they spoke the language, they could invoke the powers of the land itself."

"...that much, at least, is useful," Minwu grunted.

"So Mysidian is the language of the land of Mysidia, and by speaking it, people have the powers of the land?" Canti asked. "But if that's the case, why not have more people learn it? Especially people that can't handle typical magic!"

"To do this, you have to have the ability," Bismark said. "If it doesn't show on the test, then you just don't have it." He got up from his desk. "It's not a common ability here. Like I said, Mysidia is a land that exists far from our country, far beyond the barrier."

Minwu thought about it for a bit. He had all sorts of things running through his head at that moment, all sorts of things to wonder about. _Mysidia is a real place?_ he noted mentally. Even though his parents told him that it was only a place of legends. _Mysidia… every time I hear that name, I just… I want to go there. I feel like there is something important in this far away place._

Canti noticed how late it was in the day. She was just ready to go all ready. It seemed like she just would not get the opportunity to discuss her dream with Minwu, and she was very disappointed. Everything was exhausting from the thoughts of her nightmare, the perfection of her weapon uses, to the mental power used to transcribe spells, to dealing with her confusion with Mateus, and now her Instructor, Bismark, seemed to not even want to be an instructor in the first place. What a day.

She was about ready to just go home and sleep…


	13. Chapter 12: Reform

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Twelve_

 _Reform_

After walking home from school with Crystal, completely unable to find the time to talk with Minwu about the nightmare she had the night before, and exhausted from all the repeated work in both physical and magical areas, Canti didn't want to do anything. At all. She put her shoes in the closet, she hung up her uniform, put away her spear and her satchel, and once she was in casual clothes, she hit her bed with all the force her ten year old body could muster. Her eyes were half open, her body drained in every possible way she could imagine.

The front door opened and closed again about an hour later, with Cid coming in. "Hey, you home, sweetheart?" he called, but she didn't answer. She figured he would come looking for her to check on her anyway, so there was no need to bother. Cid eventually did wander over to her door, finding her sprawled out on her bed. "…uh oh. Did something happen at school today?"

"... _everything_ at school happened today," Canti replied, shoving her face into a pillow.

"You wanna talk about it?" Cid asked. "I'll get supper started. You want some stuffed bell peppers? I picked up some nice peppers in the market on my home."

"Okay, Papa…" she said as she sat back up, going over to the tiny dining table.

Cid sighed, heading over to the kitchenette that made up one corner of their living room. He pulled out one big pot and a pan, kicking the heat up. He seemed fully ready to get it all going, humming as he went along. "So. Tell me all about your day."

"Combat Basics was all about doing repeated movements with our weapons. Over and over again, we did the same motions," she said. "My shoulders hurt!"

"Yeah," Cid said as he was chopping up veggies on a cutting board. "When I first started, I had that for a while. I had to keep going, though, until eventually those muscles were so worked that I didn't feel a single thing. Now, my lance feels like a natural extension of my body. Takes years of practice, but if you want to master a weapon, you have to do it."

Canti looked up at the Venus Gospel on display on the nearby wall. "Papa Cid, how did you get yours anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"I have a school issued spear, but yours has a name and… it's even kinda shiny," she said as she stared up at it. "It's kinda like the Stardust Rod my classmate Minwu carries around. Has that same… shininess."

"Oh, weapons give off that kind of a kind of mystical energy when they are in the hands of the one they truly belong to," Cid explained. "There are many lances and spears out there, but there is only one that is made specifically just for me." He put hamburger meat into the frying pan, which made loud sizzling noises. "Don't worry. You'll find one that's meant just for you. And when you find it, it will shimmer… just like that one does for me."

"...a shimmering weapon…" she whispered. For a few seconds, she couldn't take her mind off of the spear up on the wall. She wondered what it would be like if she had her own weapon that seemed to bond just with her just like her Papa. What would it look like? What would it feel like? What would it's name be? Papa Cid had the Venus Gospel, and Minwu had the Stardust Rod. Those names seemed to be so special, so unique. Just as unique as the people who used them. She wondered if she was unique enough to have her own unique weapon, too.

"But that's not the only thing that happened today, now is it? There's more than that on your mind," Cid said, stirring his chopped veggies into the meat. He sprinkled in some spices and then looked over at her. "That can't be all."

"Papa Cid, did you have magic classes, too?" Canti asked.

"Can't say so, no. I only know very basic first aid magic simply because I have to, since I have you," Cid answered. He tossed the frying pan around over the burner, getting all of the meat and veggies evenly exposed to the heat. "Didn't take any formal classes for that."

"...well, I almost fainted. I was so dizzy!"

"Of course. Magic draws from inside you, from the power within. And since you have an exceptionally strong spirit, you've been assigned to study white magic," he said. His peppers were done boiling and ready to stuff. "Did you cast your first spell?"

"Not even. Instructor Ifreet has us working on spell transcriptions… one boy fainted while doing the assignment. I was dizzy, but only after I wrote the spell symbols ten times," Canti said, laying her head on the table. "I tried to get up to turn it in, but I couldn't move until my head stayed still…" she let out a long sigh. She remembered from what was said that this is was going to be the assignment for a while. Every day, until their minds grew strong enough to actually handle the magic. "…it made me wonder if I even want to study magic!"

Cid began stuffing the peppers and prepping them for putting them into the oven. "You have to study magic," he said quietly. "You have to take the courses the tests determine are right for you."

"What?" Canti asked. "We don't get a choice?!"

"No, we don't," he continued. His tone was practically emotionless as he said it. "Truth is, no one talks about it, but all us adults know. They test us… and then they put us where our abilities are suited. It would be a waste of potential if we study the things we aren't the best at."

She shook her head. "But that's not fair!"

"Baby girl, this is why it's not discussed in front of children," Cid said. He put the four peppers, stuffed with meat and veggies into the oven and set the timer before going to sit with her. "You… you can't tell anyone that you know."

"But what if Minwu doesn't want to be a white mage? What if Crystal wants to learn magic? What if someone who can sing doesn't think it's all that important to learn how?!" Canti cried, slamming her hands on the table. " _Why_?!"

"Because they might do something to you," he whispered. "I only told you because I know you'd be smart enough to figure it out on your own. I know you are. You're _special_ , you just don't know how to handle it, so you come across as a difficult child… but I see it. And _they_ know it, too." He saw her eyes water, and opened his arms to her. She got up from where she was sitting and rushed into his arms, clinging to him. "The tests scan us all, every aspect of who we are and ever will be. They know absolutely everything," he kept his voice quiet, just in case some passerby came close to the house, and to comfort her as much as he could. Cid pulled Canti up into his lap, letting her lay her head on his chest. "So the best thing we can do is just do as we are bid. It's all we can do."

Canti clung to him, sinking into his warmth. "…I don't think it's important to take Chorus," she said quietly. "Singing doesn't seem important at all…"

"You do have a lovely voice," Cid said. "There must be a reason why you were made to take it."

"Even if my voice is lovely, it… it's just my voice, Papa. It's not a valuable skill, it doesn't seem to help in this fight against the enemy that the Headmaster talked about," she said insistently. "It doesn't make sense, and, and…" She sniffled.

"It doesn't matter," Cid whispered. "We do as we are told. There is a reason why you are honing your voice and learning to use it."

"...Papa…"

Cid sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't have feelings like this only on your second day of school, but it can't be avoided, I'm afraid," he said quietly. "You just… you pick up on things. You notice things no one else does. That's why being around people is so scary for you. It's over stimulation, and with so much bombarded into your mind, it becomes hard to process it." He gripped her tighter. "Leviathan himself explained this to me the day I came to meet you the first time. But I'd understand it, I'd be able to help you cope more than anyone else in our entire country."

"The Headmaster?" she asked.

"Oh yeah. He also runs the orphanage behind the scenes. And probably more than that, too." Cid said, putting her back down. The oven dinged and dinner was done. He went to pull it out and set it on the table. Four plump green bell peppers stuffed with ground beef and veggies let off steam there for a few minutes before Cid began to set the table for them both and serve the plates up.

Canti stared at them, but she didn't feel hungry at all. She was unsettled and angry at everything. How could the people in the country know about this, but not do anything about it? How could they live like this, with no free will?! She turned away. "I'm not hungry… you just eat them…"

"If you don't eat, you'll wake up hungry. That always hurts when it happens. You can't ignore eating, pumpkin," Cid said. "Get back here. Even if you can't finish one, you still have to eat something."

Canti turned back around, sitting at the table and letting her papa make her a plate. She ate, even though she didn't want to, and oh, all she could do was think about running out into the street and screaming about the truth of the tests. Of those in higher power not letting people live the way they wanted. It infuriated her that just because she had the potential to do something, she didn't have a choice as to whether she wanted to study it or not. Once she was done, she opted for going straight to bed.

"You don't want to read a book?"

"No…"

"Not even a choose your adventure book? We can read _Undertale_ again."

"Those are just fantasy, Papa…" Canti said, turning away. "Just… empty fantasy…"

Cid felt utterly defeated upon realizing what this meant. She wasn't going to be happy like this. He couldn't believe what telling her the truth had done to her. How could he have… even thought this was a good idea? Canti was usually a happy child. Smart, and certainly more adult than her age would lead people to believe, but cheerful. He let out a desperate sigh, going over to her door. "Do you need anything else?" he asked quietly.

"No, Papa…" she said sadly, covering her face up with a pillow. Clearly she was holding back tears, but she dare not let him see her cry. It was the first time she'd ever done that to him. She tapped the button to kill the lights in her room as if to shut him out in a polite way. "…just let me sleep."

The retired pilot took a few steps away, looking up at his weapon which shined in the dim light of their tiny little living room. What could he do now? He had broken her spirit, taken away her drive to do as best as she could at what she was supposed to. Now Leviathan would be absolutely livid with him. He feared losing her to the powers in charge because of the knowledge he gave her. He sat on the couch, putting his head in his hands. Cantirena was his daughter, and he felt as if he was the biggest failure to her.

When Cid heard Canti snoring from where he was, he walked up to the Sphere terminal and tapped it to turn it on. He put in a few choice numbers and letters to make a call. Soon, the one that appeared on the monitor was that of Leviathan himself.

"Cid Highwind," Leviathan said, having his arms crossed. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"Sir… I believe… her spirit is broken. Today in particular has hit her hard, and… I believe we need to wipe the memory of today," Cid said seriously. "She's… figured _it_ out."

"Hook her into the system in her sleep," Leviathan commanded. "I will see to it. Did she do anything important today?"

"Just the usual school grind," Cid answered. "No report of anything that merits being kept…"

"Very well. She will sleep much deeper tonight because of this process," Leviathan said as he started to typing on another keyboard. "Be warned, she will be incredibly confused tomorrow morning. She may not even be able to function at school. We cannot do this process too much or it could _destroy_ her psyche." Suddenly the eidolon became enraged. "Be careful, Cid! Cosmos will be incredibly upset if something happens to Cantirena! Raising her here peacefully is the most important assignment! This is an order from the Heavenly Mother herself!"

"...sir. I will hook her in."

"See that you do!" The screen went fuzzy for a bit before turning completely off.

Cid turned to go back to Canti's room. He reached under her bed, pulling out the same kind of device Leviathan used on her to scan her back in his office at the Garden. He strapped it on her head and hooked the device into the wall. And he sat there, holding her hand, as he watched lights around the helmet atop her head turn on. The machinery hummed as it worked, causing Canti's breathing to become much deeper and much slower. Her skin grew warmer while connected to it, but removing an entire day's worth of memory from a mind not in stasis was a very time-consuming task. Cid would not lose her because of his stupidity. He would never utter another word about this to her until she was of age to know the truth.

At least thirty, he figured. And maybe not even then.


	14. Chapter 13: Reconstruction

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Thirteen_

 _Reconstruction_

Cid could not leave Canti all night. Even though he knew after about four hours, the process was done, he never had to resort to that to preserve her before. He watched her sleep, worried to death for his daughter. He sat there in that barely lit room, left to his own thoughts. How could he have told her the secrets that kept the country running the way it did? Of course if a child was to know they are raised under careful manipulation under the guise of free choice, he or she would rebel. And rebel hard.

Once Cid thought about it, he never put much thought into how he was tested or placed until Leviathan had brought it up to him about Canti. She had been tested, but in her living situation at the orphanage, there's no way she could grow as she was needed to. Cid heard every word as if it was being spoken right then and there. Leviathan opened Cid's mind to so much involving the world he lived in, all because he needed to be the trusted guardian of a little girl with untold power. No one at the Westside orphanage cared enough to see to her daily needs, as she was difficult and the only communication she really was successful with ended up being nothing but meltdowns. She was always confused, always climbing up to the roof and staring up at the sky. Always looking beyond, even if she had no words to explain what she was thinking about.

But when their eyes met for the first time… Cid knew his destiny. Hiding behind that bush of deep dark blue curls were eyes of a lighter blue. The same color as the sky he spent so much time in during his days as a pilot. He saw the world and further beyond that when he looked into those big, almost always sad sky blue eyes. It was an assignment from the government at first, but the more time he spent with her, the more he grew to honestly love her. He cared about seeing her flourish and grow as he slowly managed to get her to speak, and then taught her to read. He wanted to see her happy. Every time she woke from a nightmare, he was there to cradle her back to sleep, and every time she laughed at all the great things life had to offer, he was there to enjoy it with her. All the good, all the bad, and all the struggle, all the fun. Cid was a father before anything else now, and he was proud of that. Proud of her, proud of himself for coming so far from being that pub regular every night after work that would get drunk and get into fights for reasons too stupid to really go into detail about.

Cid leaned over, unstrapping the device from her head. The last thing he wanted was her to see this thing and figure out what it was, or she'd lose her trust in him. And he figured that was probably the worst part of this whole damn thing. Even if her memory was cleared of it, his was not. He would remember how he made a huge mistake and had to have a day ripped out of her mind. It wasn't fair to her. He told Leviathan nothing of importance would be lost, but Cid had no idea of what happened at school between Canti and her friends. He didn't know if she made a really great new friend and when approached again, she wouldn't remember what happened… he didn't know if the girls Hikari and Crystal had managed to break through her emotional walls and see her for who she really was, and caused Canti to gain some real trust in them… What of her cousin? All that ran through his mind, he wished he could have his memory cleared of the fact that he cleared her memory!

She moaned a little in her sleep. A quiet "… _nnnn_ …"

Cid put his hand on her forehead. She was still very warm. Having a fever was a common side effect of the memory extraction process from what he understood, but the fact that she was feverish made him feel that much worse.

" _Shhhh,_ " he whispered. "You're fine, pumpkin. I've got you."

"Pa…pa?" Her eyes were still closed completely, which meant to him that she was still not completely awake.

"Go back to sleep, baby girl," Cid said very softly, removing his hand. "You're safe with me."

"Papa… can we… go home?" she asked.

"We _are_ home, pumpkin," Cid said, sitting next to her on her bed. "You're in your bed right now. We're home. Where else would you be sleeping?"

She just groaned a little before rolling over and letting sleep take her completely again. Canti began to snore loudly, as was typical of her. Cid wondered what she was dreaming about, and wondered if she was having another nightmare like she had the night before. He frowned worriedly. Chronic nightmares on top of everything else? He had no way of looking at that with the equipment he was provided. Leviathan would have to take her to examine her for that.

"I love you, Cantirena," Cid said, bending down to kiss her forehead. "And I will not leave you. Not when you're like this. Not when I… was the one who put you here." He pushed her over just a little, and she instinctively moved to lay her head on his leg. He put his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her as best he could, though he felt like his comfort was simply not enough. "I am so sorry… so, _so_ sorry." He felt his warm tears slide down his cheeks, not even bothering to wipe them away. "You deserve much better than stupid ol' me."

"...Papa…" Canti murmured. "…you're the best papa I could ever have."

"Why would you say that?"

Cid felt her sit up, looking right into his eyes. Those same sky-colored eyes that made Cid believe his destiny lied with the troubled girl no one else wanted shined up at him with a loving gaze. "Papa Cid, you're the best papa in the world for me! Because you actually adopted me… you actually brought me home. No one else… ever cared for me… before you came along."

He sniffled loudly and more tears fell. It was very rare for Canti to see. But she understood having a hurt heart more acutely than most children. She hugged to him tightly, wrapping her arms around his chest. She wished nothing more than to let him know that she loved him no matter what it was that he was going through. It had to have been something powerful, beyond the normal kind of pain, as Cid hardly ever cried. And even if she was to ask, he all ready knew he could not tell her what happened. He had to preserve her innocence for as long as possible. What a world he lived in, he thought, wherein the lack of free will would drive someone insane. He figured it would be better for him to deal with this insanity than his beloved daughter.

Canti was tired, though. And as tightly as she held onto him in the middle of their silence in the darkness, she slowly slipped back to sleep as she leaned against him. She said nothing as her breath became deeper and her mind faded away from her, causing her eyes to close. Cid smiled very gently, watching her try to stay awake for his sake but ultimately being claimed by slumber. Eventually, he felt himself fade similarly. But he couldn't leave her. Who knows what mental state she would be in when she woke up after having her memories processed like that? He fell back against the headboard of her bed, falling into a very deep sleep.

…

The next morning, Cid heard the alarm in his room even though he fell asleep holding Canti on her bed. He started to rush for it, to turn it off, once he laid her back down. She was still very warm, and in such a deep state of sleep that he did not dare wake her. He clicked the button and turned to the Sphere to make a few calls.

The first call was to the hangar where he worked, to report that his daughter was sick and he would have to miss work for the day. Setzer understood immediately and told him there was nothing to worry about. There wasn't much to miss on a Wednesday anyway.

The second was to the Garden office to report his daughter's absence from class for the day, as Canti had become very feverish over night and he could not expose other children to it. The lady at the office said she would let all those who needed to know know about it and there was nothing more to worry about.

The third was to Leviathan himself. Cid reported on what happened over the night and her current state, and Leviathan said all looked fine. Keep her home and not to worry about anything else on the matter. She would just need to rest for a day, and all would be back to normal. Cid also explained how he was staying home with her to make sure she was safe during the day, and the headmaster agreed that it was a good idea.

After that, there was a knock on the door. Cid wondered if it was going to be the girls that lived close by wanting to walk with Canti to school, and sure enough when he answered the door, that's exactly who he found.

"Good morning, Mr. Highwind," they both said together at the same time.

"Will Canti walk to school with us this morning?" Crystal asked.

"I'm sorry girls, but Canti is dreadfully sick with a fever," Cid said, looking as if he was going to burst into tears again. "I've all ready called Garden. She will not be going today."

"What?!" Hikari gasped. "Has she been to the hospital? Does she need a white mage?! How bad is the fever?!"

"Minwu lives close by, we can get him before first class…" Crystal said loudly. "He goes to the hospital every day to help sick people, he'll know what to do since he's a white mage in training!" She immediately turned around, running off the Highwind family porch as fast as her short little half-dwarven legs could move. "I'm going to go get him right now!"

"I'm faster than you," Hikari said. "I can go get him!"

Cid put up his hands, shaking his head. "Don't you two worry about going to get a white mage. She has been seen to by a professional, and the current orders are for her to stay home and rest until it goes away. There is nothing else that can be done. No medicine or magic will do anything. So just wait. She'll go with you tomorrow. I promise."

"...oh, all right…" both girls groaned. They were sad to hear their friend was sick. They turned to leave and head for school, both much less excited for the day than they were earlier.

Hikari whispered to Crystal the moment the two were out of the earshot of Cid, "I don't care what he says. I'm still going to get Minwu over here after school."

"The moment both Minwu and Kain hear she is sick, they might both try to skip class entirely," Crystal whispered back.

"Minwu might not be so drastic… but Kain?" Hikari thought aloud. "Kain's going to go nuts when he hears about it…"


	15. Chapter 14: Reverb

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Fourteen_

 _Reverb_

The moment that Crystal and Hikari found their friends gathering up at the Garden around the statue of Cosmos, they immediately knew the information that Canti was sick would put a damper on everyone's day. Kain was excited when he turned to see the two who had come with Canti in the morning usually, but when she was not with them, his expression turned to worry and concern. As did Minwu's. Tidus and Vivi stood there, too, waiting for Hikari, and when they noticed that she seemed a bit down, they were unsure of what to expect.

"Hi, everyone," Crystal said a bit sadly.

"Where is my cousin?" Kain asked, crossing his arms. "She is always with you two."

"Oh we stopped by to get her, but…" Hikari looked down at the ground. "Apparently she's sick."

"...that sucks," Tidus said. "Sorry to hear that."

"That is very worrisome," Minwu said. "I take it her father has seen her to the hospital, yes?"

"He said so, yes. She's been told to just rest," Hikari replied. "Just to wait it out."

Minwu put his hand to his chin. "Forgive me, I must go. Come, Kain. We both have class together, and you are not the type to be late."

Kain nodded, following his classmate. "Yeah, I know…"

Tidus and Vivi ran up ahead on their own, but the two girls stood up there watching the statue for a few minutes, both of them wondering if praying to Cosmos would help Canti feel better at all.

"Is it true?"

Hikari turned her head to the side for a moment. "Mateus…"

The senator's son appeared more than upset by this news. "...her father would not permit me to see her, even if I wished to..."

"I have an idea!" Crystal said, smiling. "Today, when you have a moment, write her a letter. We'll take it to her for you."

"Actually, that doesn't sound half bad," Hikari agreed. "Give it to one of us at the end of the day. We can make sure she gets it."

"You would… help me?" Mateus asked.

"Of course. If Canti believes in you, then there's no reason to distrust you," Crystal said. "She's afraid around most people, but you don't make her scared… I'm sure if Mr. Highwind knew that you had that effect on her, then he wouldn't push you away so much."

Mateus smiled. "Very well. I shall write her a letter today and it will be in your hands before the day is over." He bowed his head to the two girls before climbing up the stairs on his own.

"...Mr. Highwind wouldn't appreciate it," Hikari said. "But… I would still deliver his letter to Canti anyway."

…

"The way you hang your head like that, I would not be surprised to hear you are in love with your cousin, Kain," Minwu said as he pulled at his sack's shoulder strap. It had become more heavier with the start of the school year again, when he was not used to carrying so many textbooks in this bag. He was going to need a new one. "I highly doubt your prestigious family would approve."

"I am _not_ in love with my cousin," Kain mumbled. "I am concerned for her! I am to look after those weaker than I, Minwu. It is my duty as training to be a Warrior of the Water."

"You see your cousin as _weak_?" Minwu asked. "Oh, I get the feeling she would not like to hear that… given how she has exploded at you for simply insinuating a sexist comment towards her." He teased his friend, though his words were not untrue.

The worst part of it was Kain knew he was right, but how could Kain see her as anything else? Kain always saw Canti cowering in fear and very unable to take care of herself. She might have been able to hold a spear, but she wasn't going to be fighting when she got older. Even his father said so. Richard was never wrong about this kind of thing. His mother, Elina, was a warrior in her days at Garden, too, but she never became a real warrior when she grew up. Obviously, this was just how things were going to go. Kain could see no other option here.

Minwu, however, couldn't get other thoughts out of his head. On their first day, when Bismark did not show, Leviathan took Canti to get a health scan… and here she was, sick all ready. Of course, it could be a coincidence, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something else was afoot here. He sighed, knowing he would have to go through yet another long class of Combat Basics. This was his least favorite part of the day, but he also knew it was necessity. Good thing it was first thing in the morning, so it could be done and over with. The day could only get better from here.

…

Canti slept very deeply. Cid had been up a bit, and he made breakfast for her, but she showed no signs of waking now. He came back and forth, checking up on her every now and then. She was no longer feverish, and she seemed to be perfectly fine except for the fact that she did not wake. Though there were a few times where she flinched, where she looked as if she wanted to scream, and Cid could only sit there and worry about whatever it was that she saw. He put his hand on her forehead gently, trying to soothe her. It seemed there was nothing he could really do about it.

"What are you seein' in there?" Cid asked. "You're such a little girl. What demons could be chasing you?"

Canti only rolled over, crying out in her sleep. A high pitched, painful cry.

…

 _Canti had been running for as long as she could remember. She kept trying to avoid something that existed beyond the barrier, and yet, still so very close to her. A swirling darkness, like shadows taken physical form, followed her everywhere she went. To the Garden. To her home. To lands she had never seen before. She kept running, and even though she tried to use her school issued lance to defend herself, she still didn't have the combat experience to deal with this kind of enemy. It seemed as if the weapon slipped right through the shadows themselves. Eventually, it cornered her against a gigantic wall, one that not even a dragoon could jump over. She tried to fight back, but could not land a blow. Something came out of the shadows, shaped like hands, caressing her skin, and leaving her covered in goosebumps. Feeling dirty. Feeling like she was wrong, everything was wrong. She cried out for anyone who would listen, anyone that could be nearby, but the shadows absorbed her cries. The hands cupped her face before one went straight up her uniform skirt. She now screamed as loud as she could, but no one heard her screams. Fear crept into every fiber of her being. Where was her Papa as this hand touched her in places no one had ever touched her before? Where were her friends as she felt helpless and forlorn? Where was the Headmaster Leviathan, who said he would always protect her? Would no one help her? Was she all alone?_

…

Cid put all the breakfast things away only to come and check on his daughter again, finding her this time with her eyes awake and full of abject fear. He rushed to her, and when he tried to hug her, she did not respond to his affection at all.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

"Papa… I… had a nightmare…" she answered.

"Obviously. I heard you cry in your sleep."

"...I was crying for your help…"

Cid gripped around her tighter. "Oh, baby girl, I'm sorry. What kind of nightmare was it? Did you have another nightmare of the Malboro from that horror movie? I remember that one had you shaken up for a while."

"...no, Papa Cid…" Canti breathed out, sinking back into her pillows. "…I was chased by a shadow… a huge shadow… that was bigger than anything I've ever seen before. And it… had hands, you see. Hands that… _touched_ me…" Tears filled her eyes. "I was all alone…" She sniffled loudly and soon her feelings came out in a large, overwhelming sob that consumed all of her tiny ten year old frame.

Cid wanted to cry after hearing her describe the experience. But, because he did not wish to frighten her further, he only held to her that much tighter. _How… terrifying…_ he thought. _To see such images at so young an age… Dreams can be just as traumatic as the real thing, to an impressionable mind…_

Canti didn't want to hug around him, as she felt betrayed since he did not come to her aid in her nightmare, but she felt as if she needed someone to cling to. She wailed into his chest, and Cid just rocked her back and forth. She had nothing to say, but she was just full of feelings she didn't understand.

Cid had his hand on her head, and the other hugging around her. He didn't know what to say, either. Though, based on what she described seeing, all he could imagine was the force that all within the country protected by the barrier spoke of as 'the enemy'. It never took a form, from what all the details provided said. It was just an enemy of immense power. "I know it was scary," he said, "but you don't have anything to worry about. I'm here, and I'll always be here."

"Why didn't you come for me…?" she asked. "Why weren't you there?!"

"I don't know, pumpkin…"

"You said you'd always protect me, Papa Cid."

"You are absolutely right. I did say that," Cid said with a nod. "I don't know a lot about magic, and I don't know a lot about how dreams work. But one thing I read is that you can control your dreams if you really put your mind to it. We can go to the library and look something up about it…"

"...okay…"

"You'll be fine… we'll figure out how to handle this," he reassured her. "But, right now, orders from the Doctors are for you to stay at home in bed."

"Doctors?!"

"...don't worry, baby girl," Cid said. "You got very feverish last night. I had to take you up to the hospital. Both white mages and doctors looked over you." He hated having to lie to her, but what else could he do? "You're going to make a full recovery."

Canti wiped her face, still sniffling, but her tears had stopped falling. "Can we sit on the couch instead? Maybe… watch something on the Sphere? There isn't much to do here in my bed."

"I know My Little Chocobo is coming on soon… I bet you miss your Feathershy, huh?"

"...I was thinking of watching the Training Channel…" she said, looking up at him. "…I really want to learn about dragoons…"

"I was _not_ expecting that."

Canti shrugged. "Unless we can watch more of the airships on the Science Channel."

"Cantirena."

"Yes, Papa?"

"Don't be in such a rush to grow up… you should be a kid while you are one. Being an adult isn't very fun. We just work, work, _work_."


	16. Chapter 15: Reanimated

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Fifteen_

 _Reanimated_

Cid let Canti sit on the couch, and while she had cartoons on the Sphere, she wasn't paying much attention to it. She stared at the screen, but the actions of Twilight Twinkle, the purple chocobo, in her adventures in friendship just weren't registering with her. Canti's expression seemed so far away, as if the things she saw in her nightmares just weren't going to fade away like any normal dream. Cid decided to surprise her to cheer her up, going through all the things in the tiny kitchenette to find the ingredients to make her favorite snack: chocolate crepes. If nothing else, he would get a smile out of that, right? Eventually, she just flopped over. She sat there for a long while in silence. Cid wondered what was worse. Her knowing the truth about the real state of the country, or for her to be tortured with memories of such a frightening nightmare.

Soon, there was a knock on the door, and when Cid looked at his watch, he realized just how late it was in the day. He figured it had to be Canti's friends from school, which is exactly who he found when he opened the front door.

"Can we see Canti?" It wasn't just the teal- and pink-haired girls from this morning. There stood a group of girls and boys, some he knew and some he didn't, all of them with worried looks on their little faces. "Please, Mr. Highwind?"

Cid looked back at the couch, and then back at the group of children. "She isn't contagious, so you are free to visit, but please don't overwhelm her. Canti isn't feeling well… but I'm sure you'll be able to get a smile from her, if nothing else."

"Uncle Cid, what happened?" Kain asked as Cid held the door open for the kids to come inside. "Do I need to inform my father about it?"

"No, no, Kain," Cid said to his nephew, shaking his head a little. "I've reported it all ready to the hospital, they know of her condition since last night. There's nothing to worry about. She should be ready to go back to school in the morning." He went back to the table, putting out the plate of crepes as they had cooled off enough to be eaten.

Canti laid on the couch, underneath her favorite blanket that looked like the night sky covered in stars. Crystal and Hikari both stood there looking down at her, and Minwu stood behind the couch looking at her. Tidus was there to show his best friend's friend some support, and Vivi stuck his head through between Minwu and Tidus's shoulders as he was much shorter than those two. Her expression was still distant. She didn't seem to notice they were there.

Minwu reached down to put his hand on her forehead. "She is not feverish," he said. "But she does seem as if she's lost in her own world. I doubt her eyes are even focused." He gave a sigh, shaking his head. "I've studied a lot, as I am in training to be a white mage, but even I am quite confounded as to what ails her currently. This is not a physical disease or sickness…"

"No, it isn't," Cid said. "Come on, pumpkin, your friends have come to see you." He was desperate to see something in her, as he was convinced that all of this was ultimately his fault for not keeping his mouth shut. "Let's not ignore them."

Kain came around everyone, forcing his way around to reach for Canti's hand. He didn't care that he pushed Crystal completely away to get there, either. "Cousin," he said, gripping her hand, "please… what's wrong?"

"...Kain?" Canti asked in a whisper, turning her head to look at him, blinking a few times. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking after you!" Kain said. "I told you that I'd look after you… tell me what's wrong right now, or I swear I'm gonna-"

"Stop," her voice still hadn't gotten any louder. "Listen to me. I had a nightmare, Kain… and…" She sniffled, a few tears falling from her eyes. "…something like a big, no… huge, terrible… shadow…"

Minwu blinked a few times upon hearing this. "Did it chase you?" he asked. "Cornered you?"

"Yes," Canti said, nodding a little. "Trapped me and… and…"

Minwu put his hand on her head and whispered words in Mysidian. Loud enough for the whole group to hear, but still very quiet. They had no idea what he said, but Canti seemed to understand well enough. It seemed to make her tears stop and made her crack a very tiny smile. "Cosmos will bless you with no dreams of any sort this night, so you may rest," he said gently. "I can see that because of your fear, you are afraid to shut down and rest completely. Don't worry. I do this for the hospital patients all the time when I see them."

"You think you can give me dreams about blitzball?" Tidus asked. "I don't dream enough about it!"

Minwu frowned. "I don't give dreams to anyone, Tidus…" he groaned. "…seriously, one track mind with you."

Vivi held out a flower. "Canti, I hope you feel better soon," he said gently. She took it from him. "A friend of yours at school said you like purple roses, so I got you one."

Canti knew exactly who Vivi was talking about and that made her smile even wider. Even though he wasn't there, the fact that Mateus thought about her while she was at home sick made her happy. She didn't quite know why, but it did make her happy. "Thank you…" she said. "…my friend was right…" She placed it on the table.

"Well now I feel bad I didn't get you anything…" Hikari said, digging into her pockets. She found the envelope Mateus gave her, but she wanted to wait until Cid and everyone else was looking away before passing it to her. "…Vivi, you're really thoughtful."

"I'll go buy you a whole dragon made of purple flowers if it would help you recover!" Kain said loudly. "I have gil, hold still, I'll-"

"Damn, Kain…" Cid said. "Calm down. Don't be jealous that another friend thought of something and you didn't. Tomorrow, everything will be all right. Life will go back to normal. There's nothing to get all upset about. Really."

Crystal seemed a bit annoyed that Kain had pushed her out of the way. "I don't wanna overstay my welcome, but I have homework to do…" She smiled at Canti. "Tomorrow, you're walking to school with us, okay?"

"Sure," Canti said. "Thanks for stopping by."

"Of course!" Crystal left, and soon Tidus and Vivi filed out behind her, giving waves and well-wishes as they went along.

Kain looked between Minwu and Hikari, both of whom were concentrated on Canti, but also were thinking of two very different things. He wanted to cradle her in his lap and comfort her in every way possible, but he knew he couldn't. Instead, he just bent down and kissed her forehead. "Father and I have agreed to having a sparring match this evening. I hate to leave you, cousin, but I have to go."

"That's fine. You know… we should spar sometime, too…" Canti giggled at that. "I am still learning, but I know there's so much you could teach me. I'm excited for it."

"I couldn't raise a spear at you…"

"…you will if I'm kicking your butt."

"Good to know I can cheer you up, cousin," Kain groaned as both Hikari and Minwu started laughing loudly. He turned around to leave.

When Cid was looking at something else, Hikari slipped the envelope under Canti's blanket quickly. She bent down to whisper, "Mateus wished he could see you. He sends you this."

She moved her hand underneath the blanket, grasping to the envelope. She nodded once she had it, placing it into the pocket of her pajamas so Cid would not notice it if she happened to move. "I'm glad all of you stopped by," Canti said. "I feel so much better than I did before you got here!"

Minwu bowed his head to her respectfully. "That is what these sorts of visits are for."

"Aren't you needed at the hospital?" Hikari asked.

"Yes, but I sent word through Mognet that I would be late this evening, as I would be going on a housecall," he said.

"No one's used Mognet for years," Cid said from the table. He had begun eating one of the crepes himself. "I thought everyone was required to use the Sphere for all communication."

"The moogles are a part of the integrated system at the hospital," Minwu said. He was beginning to leave, too. "They deliver all of the notices between departments, because having to stop everything just to check the Sphere just isn't enough when things get incredibly busy over there, especially in the Emergency Response Unit." He put his hands together and gave Canti another blessing in his mother tongue before picking up his bag and heading over to the door. "And with that, I must be off. Do tell me how you feel in the morning, Canti. If I have spare time tonight, I will go and research more about this shadow you spoke of. I do believe I know what it is, but I can't say for certain. Rest well."

Hikari was the only visitor left, and honestly, she didn't want to leave. Something about this situation made her think of something else. Something she felt before. Her heart ached with a deep, dark sadness, heavier than the usual sort of sadness. "Canti," she said quietly.

"What's wrong, Hikari?" Canti asked, pulling herself up so she was sitting. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"You have to promise me," she said. "That you aren't going to vanish or anything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Canti asked.

"I don't like losing my friends, and… seeing you here, while you were looking so distant… something in me just…" Hikari looked down at the floor. She got the strangest feeling, like she had seen something like this before, and it only made her ache. "I don't know what's wrong with me, but I do know that I can't let anything happen to you."

"You and everyone else, seems like," Canti said. "We just met a few days ago, and-"

"I feel like I've known you longer than that. Maybe it was just a dream, maybe it was a previous life, I have no idea, but… I've known you longer than just a few days, Canti! I wouldn't feel this strongly if… if…"

"No, Hikari. We grew up in two different orphanages."

Hikari stood up and grabbed her bag, beginning to leave. She didn't want to become a blubbery mess at someone else's home. She wiped her face and said her good nights and goodbyes, leaving the Highwind duo to sort things out between themselves.

Canti was eager to read the letter Mateus had sent for her, but Cid just put the plate of crepes on the little table in front of the Sphere and gave her a wink. "Well, here you go. You seem cheered up enough at the moment, but… I made a few for you."

"Papa Cid!" she exclaimed, yanking one and whorfing it down in three seconds flat. She was so overjoyed to see them that she forgot to savor the first one. It had been far too long since he made something like that for her, and boy, did it bring the usual happy smile to her face that he longed to see. She got it all over the top of her pajamas when the chocolate came splorching out of the opposite end, but she was laughing either way.

"That's why I made them," he said.

"Why, because you wanted me to make a mess of myself?"

"No, I just needed to hear you laugh." Cid confessed. "Just because life isn't the same without your laughter…"

Canti scampered off to her room, putting the envelope in the basket that hung on the wall over her bed, and gathering up a new set of pajamas to change into. She went ahead to shower for the next day. There was just so much to do tomorrow.


	17. Chapter 16: Repopulate

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Sixteen_

Canti pretended to be asleep for as long as it took for her papa to finally go to bed. She then found the flashlight in the nearby nightstand and reached up to grab the envelope that Hikari had brought for her. No one had ever written her a letter before, and boy, Canti was excited to read it. The envelope was purple, with a tiny little insignia of a darker purple rose in the lower right corner, and it smelled just like the rose Vivi had given her - which Cid decided to press so she could keep it forever. It smelled just like a combination of Mateus' normal scent, and Hikari's uniform pocket. A curious mix. Curled up with her plush of the Mysidian Rabbit, and under her fleece blanket that looked like the starry night sky, Canti opened the envelope to read the letter within.

The paper, which was a piece of lovely matching stationery, which read:

 _To my dear friend,_

 _It made my heart ache to hear that you have become sick. Truthfully, I don_ _'t have many friends, and you had been making my days a little more joyful ever since I met you. I wanted to come see you, but I know that the Palamecian family and the Highwinds have never once meshed well. Forgive me if I come across too strongly, but I have a feeling our destinies are intertwined. At least, that is what I wish would come to pass. Be my friend forever, Cantirena. It would make me ever so happy. And I wish to do something for you that would make you happy. Anything at all. If it is in my power, I will make it happen._

 _All the best,_

 _Mateus_

Canti blushed brightly upon finishing reading the letter, which was written in a handwriting nicer than anything she'd ever seen before. She was confused about what this was making her feel. Of course she wanted to keep all her friends forever, she loved them all. As familiar as he felt, she didn't want to rush into something she didn't understand. And there was no way she could ever bring this kind of thing up to her Papa Cid, or even Kain. The letter was right on that point. She stood back up to put the letter away, tucking it in behind other things so Cid would not look at it by some passing glance. Then, she turned off the flashlight and decided it was time to sleep. She curled up and got comfy, eventually falling into a dreamless sleep as Minwu had promised just earlier. But the thoughts on her mind as she was drifting was simply imagining all the friends she had made, including Mateus, on a large picnic. Everyone talking and snacking, and having a reasonably good time doing so. If he could make that happen, that's what she'd ask for.

…

Leviathan sat at his desk, thumbing through applications and paperworks of all kinds, not really wanting to take care of any of it, but feeling as if he had no real choice in the matter. He sipped at his lukewarm coffee. The knock at the door caught his attention.

"Sir! Senate meeting coming up! Will you be present?" the voice asked on the other side of the door.

"Ah, right," Leviathan said, standing up. "Yes. I'll be there in just a moment." He put his mug down and flicked the fish scale-like hair out of the front of his face. He wasn't overly fond of his human form, but when overseeing such a massive project for the Heavenly Mother Cosmos, he wasn't exactly allowed to leave his realm or the humans within. Especially not these so-proclaimed governors of the country, his senate. He wondered why he allowed the people form their own government for the two seconds it took him to walk over to the door, and he flashed his secretary his dashing human smile when he pulled it open. "Better lead these elected officials properly, or they might cause trouble."

"Don't say that, sir, you know how there are some who are adamant to use all of your commentary against you," the secretary said, looking around to make sure no one else was listening. "There are some who believe you are not fit to lead as you do."

"Posh," Leviathan said, dismissing the idea. His secretary had no idea about the control he had over every human's memories within his land, and he certainly wasn't going to tell her that any rebellion could be quelled with the correct equipment. The moogles, the Sphere Grid that connected any and all places of work and residence… all were at his command. He was an Eidolon, not some mere human. "Come now, Betsy, you must not speak so fearfully. There is naught to be afraid of." He chuckled softly, turning to walk down a hall that connected his office within the Senate Building to the Gathering Place.

The building the Senate met in was huge, filled with offices for every single representative. Most all of these people worked here during the day to take care of basic district business, but a few ran their own businesses for profit aside from being a Senator. Leviathan locked eyes with that of a Matteo Palamecia as he passed through to his podium in the center of the room, remembering the Palamecian Monster Ranch which was suspiciously close to the barrier which surrounded the entire realm and kept it safe from the Ardent. There was another senator he passed, who had much more of a benevolent personality about him named Braska. The two were discussing something very heated, but Leviathan did not lend them an ear as he passed through, considering he did not expect it to be much more than a simple quibble between two humans of opposing positions that discussed absolutely nothing important whatsoever. Leviathan noticed all the others, gathered in either party-bound cliques or seated off to themselves, either way preoccupied with one thing or another.

He reached his podium after a good ten minute walk and snapped his fingers once. The echo sounded throughout the entire auditorium-like Gathering Area. Everyone else in the room immediately turned to face him. Leviathan flashed his generic, congenial smile to all of them. Oh, these humans, he mused in thought. "Take your places," he said, waving his hand at all of them. "Quickly, please. We all do have important matters outside of here to address before morning."

All of the senators took their place. There was around twenty-five of them total, all for different districts around Leviathan's realm. Each of them were elected by the people to represent their needs and desires, but it was clear there were some who were not just bought and paid for, but those who acted for their own interests rather than those of the people. Leviathan was the only man in the room who wasn't elected, simply because if he was going to have ruling power in his own realm, he was going to have to make sure that he could not be ousted from his position, regardless what renegade members of the Senate spoke of behind closed doors.

"Good evening, Senators!" Leviathan's voice boomed across the hall, though he wasn't yelling. "May our Heavenly Mother guide us in all we plan to do this meeting."

"Praise Cosmos," the others all sounded off together respectfully.

"So, what have we all been gathered to decide upon this time?"

A senator in long yellow robes stood up, with his hand raised to catch Leviathan's attention. "Motion 34 has yet to be decided upon!" he screamed.

"Motion 34 is oppressive!" another senator yelled at him. "We cannot ratify it!"

Leviathan was laughing on the inside as he picked up a paper on his podium. "Motion 34 seeks to call all forms of masturbation illegal?" he asked as he read it. _Oh, Mother… these humans will be the end of my sanity…_ Even though he had done his best to sound non-biased for years, this one always made the rounds from the extremely religious district, and every time he read all the laws included in it, he couldn't help but laugh. "How many times are we even going to discuss this? The vote last time was no, Senator Kinoc. Tell your Yevonite party that this simply is not going to pass. Not now, not _ever_."

"Says one with a filthy mind," Kinoc said. "Only a _pervert_ would vote against this! We who have pure hearts to serve our Heavenly Mother know the dangers of allowing the people to play with themselves!"

Matteo giggled from his seat a bit childishly. "Right, because Kinoc knows purity. Of course."

Leviathan did his best to keep his ' _oh snap_ ' comment to himself. Other members of the senate laughed along with the blonde man known for being so made of money that the legends said his sweat took the form of gil coins and his hair were strands of solid gold. It was known, or rather, rumored through many circles of Dagurreo that Matteo Palamecia was a sexual deviant for all kinds of things unmentionable in pleasant company. But Leviathan didn't care. Sex lives weren't his jurisdiction, and he didn't care what anyone did with their private parts. The whole argument seemed downright silly to him.

"Those… comments aside," Braska said finally. "Can we not vote and get rid of his insipid bill once and for all, Leviathan? We all have families to get home to."

"Much agreed," Leviathan said with a nod. "All those in favor of Motion 34?"

Kinoc raised his hand.

"All against?"

Everyone else raised their hand.

Leviathan nodded again. "Right, okay, so Kinoc. You get to shut up for the rest of this entire meeting, and I swear if you even think about resubmitting this again, you will not be on the senate very much longer. You are wasting the system's time, you are wasting my time, and time that, like Braska said, could be spent on other things." He took the paper and wadded it up, kicking it into the nearby trash can. "Anything else? Don't tell me that was the only bill submitted for this!"

No one said anything to him, but there was a dull murmur around the room.

Leviathan put his hands on his hips. _I hate all of you. Except you, Braska. You're all right._


	18. Chapter 17: Reaffirmation

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Seventeen_

Cid was up incredibly early the next morning, sipping a cup of hot coffee while watching a morning news broadcast on the Sphere. He pushed his bangs out of his face, though they just flopped right back where they were before he bothered. The sun hadn't even come up yet, and all he was hoping was that Leviathan's promise would be realized. Canti slept all through the night. He just needed her to wake up and be back to herself.

"Senator Kinoc proposed Motion 34 again," the news program reported. "The bill proposed by the Yevonite religious group from the wealthy district. Kinoc is well known for being a zealous believer, and rumors abound that they will once again submit this bill."

Cid rolled his eyes. He spent a little time every night by himself taking care of his business, and he couldn't imagine being able to go to sleep without it. He sipped his coffee again.

"...Senator Matteo Palamecia spoke out against this proposition several times…" the program continued in the background.

Hearing that name didn't make Cid feel much better. He just flicked the button on the control panel to turn the Sphere off. All the thoughts running through his head, it was better not to even think about the governing body's incredibly shitty elected officials. He wondered for a split second how Palamecia and Kinoc ever were voted into positions of power, and then he figured since he lived on the poorer side of town, he probably would never understand those who lived in the northern district.

Suddenly, the Sphere let out a large ringtone, and Cid tapped a button on the panel to make it stop before it woke Canti earlier than she should be up. The monitor revealed his older brother, Richard, sitting there with a frightful expression on his face.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Richard said sternly. "I need to talk with you, little brother."

"I'm jacking off with glee," Cid replied, crossing his arms. It was far too early to deal with his asshat of an older brother. "Speak."

"Fuck you, Cid. Listen. I know you're a mechanic down at the ship-yard, and some of the men who went on patrol last night reported to me that there is suspicious activity going on," Ricard explained worriedly. "I need you to go down there and find out exactly what since you have access to everything there."

"My daughter is recovering from being sick! I'm not leaving her in this condition alone!" Cid said, the apathy for the situation rife within his tone. "I am not falling for one of your pranks again."

"You won't be leaving her alone. I'll send Kain and Erina over to keep watch over her," Richard said much more sternly. "As a Warrior of the Water and Defender of this Realm, I need your assistance. This is not some sort of jest, Cid. This is serious. Your home is closer to the ship-yard than mine. Think of what could become of this if it is not stopped as soon as possible. Your daughter could be in more danger than just falling ill and missing her classes. I know you wish to be there for her, but she might need you to help with something bigger than just herself." He sighed. "I've treated you like shit for far too long, and I apologize. But you are one of the most capable warriors in our ranks and qualified to access the place unlike most of us. As your brother, and as the Grand Dragoon… please."

Cid nodded. "You better send Kain and Erina, then."

"You have my word."

"All right, all right," he said. "Let me get equipped. I'll be there as soon as I can to investigate."

Richard smiled. "Thank you, Captain Highwind."

"Fuck off…" Cid muttered as he gathered his uniform for the Dagurreo City-State's military organization, the Warriors of the Water, and his trusted Venus Gospel spear. He didn't expect to be called in like this so early, especially not for Warrior duty, but Richard mentioned the one thing that always made him get off his ass and do right. "…if it weren't for the fact that I want to keep my baby girl safe, I wouldn't even bother…"

"Heh. Well. It was because of that reason that you even joined up in the first place," Richard said as he stepped back away from the camera. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Roger that." It might have been not-so-subtle manipulation, but Cid wasn't very much of a subtle man himself. Sometimes he needed things beat into his head, blunt force trauma style. He pulled on his uniform quickly, making sure everything was in its proper place, and traded out his favorite goggles for a hat that looked like it fit too tightly on his head. Well, there was a reason why back in bootcamp, they called them jugheads. Cid turned with his spear strapped to his back, only to find a pajama-clad Canti standing there with her big stuffed bunny in her hands.

"Papa?" she asked sleepily as she rubbed one of her eyes.

"Hey, kiddo," Cid said, bending down to kiss her forehead. "I have some serious work to get done this morning, but don't worry. Aunt Erina will be by to make sure you're all right to go to school right quick."

"...you only wear that uniform… when it's an emergency…" she said as she yawned.

Cid nodded. "They don't know if it is yet, but… it could be. Hey. I'll be home as soon as I can, I promise." He gave her a quick hug, holding her close for that moment. "Don't be scared. I'll get 'em, whoever or whatever it is."

Canti blinked up at him tiredly. "I'm not scared, Papa Cid. You'll protect me, as best you can, right?"

"Of course I will! You're my baby girl!"

"Then it'll all be okay," she smiled as he let her go, heading towards the door. "I believe in my Papa Cid."

"It may not make much sense, but hearing that… I feel stronger," Cid said as he pushed the door open. "Cantirena. I love you."

She waved as she watched him walk out. "I love you, too, Papa."

As the front door closed, Canti walked up to it and locked it. Here she was, all alone. She looked up at the wall, noticing that Cid took his Venus Gospel with him. He only took that down when fighting was a sure thing, as he swore of fighting for simple fun quite a long time ago. She wasn't sure of what he was going to fight, but as much as she knew it would upset him to know… she did lie to him. She was a little scared. Why wouldn't she be? Canti couldn't forget her nightmares of a creeping, looming darkness, and now, here in the early morning hours, she woke up to hearing her uncle calling on the Sphere to ask her papa's help. Was this… was _it_ coming?

Canti went back to her room to change, then she went to the tiny kitchenette to make her breakfast on her own. Even if Cid said her Aunt Erina would be over, she didn't care. Canti could take care of herself. There was nothing hard about making her own simple pancakes. There was nothing hard about showering and changing on her own. She was fully ready to go to school around the time dawn had cracked. And while she was ready, waiting for the rest of the country around to catch up to her, so she could move on with her day and not feel so damn stagnant, her thoughts engulfed her mind.

She climbed up into the little attic, and from there, climbed up higher onto the roof of the little house. The dark blue sky looked like a painting, with the streaks of sunlight beginning to cross the sky as if directed by a large paintbrush. A masterful hand of the craft at work with a bright palette against the ever dark canvass. As she stared straight up, the moon overhead still shined brilliantly. It wasn't being overshadowed by the sun just yet. It was a mystical, pale white, much like Canti's extremely pale skin. She put her left hand on her right shoulder, gripping the mysterious birthmark she'd been left with, knowing that underneath her uniform blouse and cute little tartan vest, there was a crescent moon etched into her skin. And sitting here, under the vast sky that seemed so large that it could fall down on top of her at any moment, Canti wondered one thing.

 _Why_?

Why was Papa Cid called to investigate strange happenings? Why was he awake at such a time, ready to go? Why would nightmares follow her, when she barely remembered her days at the Westside Orphanage. And… why did she have a birthmark that looked like a moon? Why was she told to study Mysidian with Minwu? Canti wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them underneath her chin, and felt utterly alone underneath that breathtaking early morning sky.

"Cousin?!" Kain's voice came screaming out of the nearby window. "Mother and I have been looking everywhere for you! We were panicking! With all the news of strange happenings, and our fathers going to investigate it… I thought- _err_ … we thought… something might have happened to you, Canti!"

That is, until Kain refused to simply let her be alone.

Canti turned her head a little to see Kain's face awash in concern. "I'm sorry, Kain. I just needed a moment alone," she said. "Please don't yell."

"I'm sorry. I got worked up there. Can you please come inside? Mother wants to make you breakfast."

"I made pancakes all ready," she said shyly. "And I'm all ready dressed to go to school. Can't you just leave me alone? I can take care of myself."

"Canti…" Kain said, pulling himself out of the window to sit next to her on the shingled roof. "You can't mean that… You don't really want to be alone, do you? Aren't you just scared because Uncle Cid has to go check on whatever happened at the ship-yards?"

She suddenly cut him a sharp glare. "No, Kain! You don't get it!"

"What is it that I don't get?" Kain asked, trying to be as kind as possible. He reached for her hand, to offer her comfort. Canti found Kain's hand to be warm and soothing, oddly enough. "I won't understand you if you don't explain what's wrong." That tone didn't sound like something that came from a family member, and Kain didn't quite understand it himself. Something in him felt much different than usual, like his overprotective nature here wasn't just because of their familial relation. "Secrets can be a burden. Let me lighten it for you."

"Kain?"

"Come on… what's so bad that you can't tell me? Aren't I your best friend?" he asked, gripping her hand tighter.

"I don't know… you're my overprotective cousin."

"Cantirena," Kain said, feeling his heart beating much harder than usual. He wondered if perhaps his classmate Minwu was correct on the assessment of his feelings, and that worried him immensely. "I care about you." As he let all of these feelings, these conflicting emotions of attraction to her and wanting to be a loyal, dependable someone she could always count on, come to the forefront of his mind. "And… I love you." But that love wasn't romantic or anything, he thought to himself. No, no, nothing like that.

"Kain, you're blushing…" she said, blinking at him curiously. "…there's no need for that. You're my cousin. I love you, too. I love the Highwind family for taking me in and accepting me, when you had no reason to."

 _Oh, good… that didn't come off as being really weird and incestuous,_ Kain thought in relief. _But… wait… what she said is true. Canti is my cousin by adoption… is that why… Could it be that I'm… that I like her this way? I've always known she's… not really… a Highwind…_

Canti giggled as she reached over to poke that nose on his mopey, blushing little face. "Why are you so cute, cousin?" she asked. "I've never seen you like this before, and it's so cute. Like a baby dragon that's confused about the world around him. It's okay, baby dragon. You have a nice family to look after you and care for you."

Kain blushed harder at that. "S-so do you!" he exclaimed. "You're a Highwind. No matter who you were before Uncle Cid adopted you, that's who you are now!" He said it to comfort her, and also reaffirm his own conflicting thoughts. He never wanted to hold a girl close before, and now it was awakening in him, in this bizarre morning under both the sun and the moon alike. Kain never cared much about girls, and here he was… finding those blue curls and that pale, moon-like skin, and that soft, melodic voice… nothing short of enchanting. "So… let Mother take care of you! You're family."

"But I all ready ate, cousin…"

"Yeah, but your hair is a mess."

"Kain. It's always a mess!"


	19. Chapter 18: Resignal

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Eighteen_

Cid raced through the city, jumping onto houses and through trees, casting no shadow. Under the cover of night, he made his way down to the ship-yards where he had been working since he retired from being a pilot. He squinted as his eyes traced over the area. The hangars all looked normal, the airships all docked seemed the way they were the last time he set eyes on them. Grasping his spear in his right hand, he used a Long Jump to completely clear over both the road and the tall wall that protected the area. He looked up at the sky, noticing that dawn was just cracking, and then continued his search. What could have been so suspicious that Richard had to get him out this early? Sure, Canti was awake, but… He landed atop the hangar where he did most of his daily work with a very light noise. All dragoons were light on their feet.

Soon, he heard some sort of strange noise nearby. Cid held his breath for a moment, listening as closely as he could. It sounded like some sort of slithering, a greasy, snake-like movement against the concrete below. He crept silently in that direction until he could look down at the ground between two hangars. That's when he saw it - some sort of two-headed dragon creature with a long tail.

 _The hell is a fucking Schizo doing here?_ Cid thought, watching it from where he was positioned on the roof.

He watched it as it was sticking one of its heads into the ground below. It was hard to completely make out in the cover of night, as the moon did not provide enough light and the sun was not yet over the wall to expose what was going on. Cid wasn't the type to leave a job unfinished, and he knew he was still going to have to work today. He prepared himself to launch a jump attack on the Schizo when he heard a very harsh whisper behind him.

"Cid, no!" it caused him to freeze.

Cid turned his head just to the side to see a fellow dragoon next to him. His elder brother Richard was there, wearing a helmet that covered his whole face. Only his long blonde hair fell from it, otherwise he could have resembled an actual dragon with that helmet on. But Cid held his position as he was told. "The fuck?" he asked, gesturing to the Hydra. " _How_?!"

"We have been told to fall back," Richard whispered, grabbing Cid by his armor to pull him along.

"It's… got some sort of swirling darkness in it," Cid whispered in reply. "This is no normal monster… we have to take it out before it causes trouble. There's a residential area on the other side of that wall, broth-… Grand Dragoon!" He wanted to slay it now, but he couldn't disobey a direct order from his commanding officer. When Richard jumped back to the other side of the wall, so did Cid, reluctantly.

"I know, I want to take it out as well, but Leviathan has ordered that we are not to kill it," Richard said sternly. The two landed on the sidewalk near a lamp post across the street from the wall that surrounded the ship-yards. "He wishes to investigate the monster, so we are going to corral it and have it sent to the Monster Farm up north so they may run tests."

"What kind of tests need to be run on a monster that's taking something from underneath the ground?" Cid asked. "It's full of some kind of dark cloud. I don't understand monsters or magic all that much, but that… it ain't natural, brother." He sighed, strapping his spear onto his back again. "…the nightmares Canti's been having and now this thing… I don't think this is just a coincidence."

"Cantirena has always been especially sensitive…" Richard said. "…once we are done corralling the monster, you are to report all of this to Leviathan. Including the fact that she's been having nightmares."

"That… that he all ready knows," Cid muttered. "She's all ready had memories extracted."

"So _that's_ why she was home sick," Richard thought aloud, giving a long sigh. "Kain was beside himself with worry. Never mind that. Let us take care of the problem at hand, shall we? With you here with me, I highly doubt we'll need more of the Warriors!" The light on the lamp flickered out, as the sun had come across the sky far enough to no longer need the streetlight.

"Let's put that Highwind family strength to work, then." Cid gave him a grin, and the two jumped up together at the same time.

…

Canti didn't want to spend any time at all with her overly fussy Aunt Erina. She was a proper woman, with her hair tied into a ponytail to the side, wearing a conservative dress and a white apron over it. She wanted to brush Canti's curly hair until it was straight so she could style it nicely, and Canti fought her off as the sensation of having that rough brush through her hair just made her feel miserable. She jumped out of the house with her bag and school-issued spear, heading out to be alone, screaming about how strangers never properly understood anything. She then climbed a tree and stayed there for a bit, putting her hands over her head protectively.

Kain gave his mother a flat "I told you so" as he gathered his things for school that he had brought with him, and Erina only muttered that she thought she was helping, and sighed before she dutifully began cleaning everything in the house. Even though it was organized, Erina couldn't help herself. Not having a motherly figure meant things just weren't taken care of properly as far as she was concerned. Kain sighed, heading out to go find Canti before anything else could go terribly wrong this morning.

Canti sniffled, but she didn't cry. She wanted to, but she refused to let something like this be what drove her to tears. This was how Kain found her.

"Cousin?" Kain asked as he looked up at her from the ground. As much as he wanted to hold her, he knew she wasn't ready for anyone to be close to her at the moment. He had to wait for her to approach him. "I apologize on my mother's behalf. She doesn't quite understand your quirkiness. Forgive her."

"Aunt Erina is like everyone else!" Canti shouted at him. "Want to change me!"

"It's not like that, Canti," Kain said, putting his hand on the trunk of the tree she sat in. "She means well. She just thought your hair looked messy is all. She was just raised differently than you are, so she sees the world different. Mother likes you the way you are." He didn't know if that was true or not, but there was no way he would voice his doubt.

"Papa Cid knows…"

"Uncle Cid lives with you every day, Canti. Of course he knows everything about you," Kain continued. "To be honest, I only know you because I make the effort to know you. I care about you a lot. I couldn't handle it if anything happened to you. Anyone hurts you, and I'd run them through with my spear. And trust me, with all the experience I've gotten with my training to inherit the title of Grand Dragoon, I can do it, too!" He looked up at her, giving a very gentle smile. "Hey. I have some gil. You want to go do something before school starts?"

Canti nodded, leaping from the tree to land next to him, glomping around him tightly. "Thank you, Kain…" she whispered.

"...anything for you, Canti," Kain said, wrapping his arms around her to offer her comfort. He supported her with all that he was, absolutely loving the embrace he shared with her. It was this very moment that Kain knew the depth of his feelings for her, even if she was adopted into the family. Kain loved Canti. And even if this meant he had to be alone because of the laws against in-family marriage, he would love her from afar. "Come on. I know there's some shops that are open, and we have quite a while before school opens."

The duo walked together for a while, heading over to a cafe. But what they found outside it was something very strange. A moogle floated above it, wearing very fancy blue robes and a three pointed hat. Canti blinked at it curiously before walking up to it. It looked like a table, but the top was glowing brilliantly like a glittering rainbow. She had seen this, this whatever-it-was, before, but she had no clue what it was or where she had seen it before. Kain looked at her, noticing her eyes were glowing with the same magical force that was shining from this device, and grew concerned with how entranced she became.

"Hello, kupo," the moogle said, flittering his tiny bat-like wings.

"This shimmer," Canti said quietly. "I've seen this before. It looks like the same glowing on Papa Cid's Venus Gospel…"

"Uncle Cid has a named weapon, like Father's Dragon Lance," Kain said. "And they do let off this kind of light."

"Minwu's staff does this, too," Canti said.

The moogle floated back and forth over it, circling the table-like contraption. "Kupo… all souls within the realm have weapons meant just for them. The shimmer comes from the weapons that have reached the hands they are meant for, kupo," it explained while its big, round nose wiggled. "Cantirena… your heart seeks answers… kupo."

"H-how do you know my name?" Canti asked, taking a step back. "My real name?"

"Kuuupo," the moogle replied soundly.

"That's not an answer!" Kain shouted at it, showing his frustration. He just wanted to spend some time alone with her, and now all this nonsense comes up? Didn't he just have the worst luck! "Come on, cousin. Let's go over to the armory." He took her hand, but she didn't move. "Canti, what are you doing?"

Canti shook her head. "I want to know why you know my real name, moogle!"

"You are well-known, kupo," the moogle answered. "And you are sorely missed…"

She didn't understand that at all. "What does that even mean?"

The moogle raised one of its paws up, activating the magic within the device he flew above. Brilliant, shining light poured over both Kain and Canti, causing them to put their hands up to cover their eyes. "Kuuupo," he cooed. "If you bring me five pieces of mythril crystal, I can give you the answers you seek…"

Eventually, the light faded away. When Canti and Kain both pulled their hands away from their face, the moogle and the weird device were gone. They wondered if what happened was even real for a few moments, but no one else was around, and it didn't seem like anything else was affected by what just happened. Canti thought about what the moogle said, wondering what mythril crystals even were. She looked at Kain, who just decided not to talk about their shared experience. The two of them just walked away from that spot, moving on with their day.

" _...The Ardent is close, kupo… We need your help, Cantirena… kupo…"_


	20. Chapter 19: Retell

**The Secret Garden**

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Nineteen_

The cafe was mostly empty. Canti and Kain sat down in one booth, though she insisted several times that she had eaten all ready this morning. Kain didn't care if she only drank a glass of milk, the fact that they were here by themselves was enough for him. He ordered a coffee and a big stack of pancakes. Canti knew him well enough to know pancakes were Kain's favorite food. She liked them too, of course, but she liked them even more when Papa Cid made them with chocolate chips and in the shape of bunnies. The two of them chatted about all kinds of things while there. School, their friends, families, their planned futures… there was so much going on in their lives that things just felt crazy. But at least for this moment, things were peaceful. Stopped. Calm. Every time Canti let out that soft, cute little giggle of hers, Kain felt his heart leap from his chest up to his throat. Why did she have to be adopted by his uncle?

"Good morning," came a voice from behind Canti that spooked her so much she froze for a moment.

"Clear out," Kain barked at the owner of the voice. "Leave us alone!"

Canti turned her head to the side to see someone she had bumped into before, but never really had the opportunity to get to know, thanks to Kain's overprotectiveness on the first day of school. "I've met you before," she said quietly. "Ffamran, right?"

"My friends call me Balthier," Ffamran said smoothly, bowing his head dramatically to her. "And you, princess, may consider me a friend."

"You Bunansas don't know when to quit!" Kain said, almost throwing his fork down on the table. "Go away, Ffamran!"

"Don't be so mean, Kain," Canti said, enchanted by Balthier's very elegant way of carrying himself. "So… Balthier. Why are you here?"

"I come by the Chattering Chocobo every morning for breakfast," Balthier replied, sitting down next to her. This caused Kain to get incredibly jealous, even though he was eating his pancakes in silence across the table. "And to hear that tiny giggle of yours, I had to see just what was so funny. Turns out, your cousin's inability to express his feelings properly is what was so damn hilarious." He glared at Kain from across the table. "My uncle Otto told me some very disturbing news about the ship-yards, I figured you might know about it, since your father works there, too."

"Papa Cid is a mechanic there, yes," Canti said with a nod. "What did your uncle tell you?"

"Otto has been on latrine duty the last while, and to clear his work quota, he has been having to do overtime," Balthier continued. "Turns out he spotted something quite foul. Some kind of beast, he said it was. Two heads. Sucking something from the ground. The creature swirled with some kind of black cloud or some such…" He shrugged, not knowing what to make of it. "Now Uncle Otto likes making stupid pranks, but the look on his face. The man was frightened."

Kain's eyes widened. Canti's eyes watered. Both felt the tinge of fear slide down their spines and settle in their cores.

"Oh, forgive me," Balthier said, gently taking her hand. "I did not mean to frighten you, princess. Last thing I want to see is those beautiful sky blue eyes filled with tears…"

In a sudden movement, Canti wrapped her arms around Balthier, letting her sobbing shake her body. "Papa! …Papa Cid!" she cried out desperately.

Kain was enraged. How _dare_ Ffamran Bunansa hold his cousin while she was locked in such a state of unfathomable sadness!? "Canti, how about we go back, just to check?" Any suggestion to get her away from that manipulative piece of chocobo dung…

"School starts here in an hour, and you two came all the way up here to the wealthier district for breakfast," Balthier said, shrugging. He glared at Kain while he wrapped his arms around her delicate little frame. "I don't think you'll make it in time. But that's all right. I can call my uncle and he can give me a report. Everything will be all right, you'll see."

"Thank you, Balthier…" Canti said through her tears. "…I won't forget your help…" She sniffled loudly.

Balthier let her go, only to get up and head over to the public Sphere station in the corner. Kain immediately stood up and walked around the table. "Cousin… don't you see what he's doing to you?" he whispered. "Uncle Cid and my father are taking care of whatever the problem is. There are no better dragoons within the Warriors of the Water, and even if it is some dark two-headed beast, which I sincerely doubt, it is no match for them!"

She let him wipe her eyes. "They are the best dragoons in the whole country…" Canti said with a nod. "…you are right…"

"Of course I am," Kain said. "Let's get out of here. I will contact my father's desk at the Warriors of the Water office. It will be much more reliable than Ffamran's half-wit Uncle's report."

"But… you haven't finished your pancakes."

"I don't need to. That's not important." He helped her out of the booth and gathered up their things.

By the time Balthier came back to give them the news, Kain had led her outside and carried her away using the Dragoon's Jump technique. He sighed. It was well known that Highwinds didn't trust anyone but those who bore their name, and Ffamran just happened to be born a Bunansa. He stood there for a moment, leaving some gil to pay for Kain's check and a tip for the waitress. "What, Kain? Can't believe some other has eyes for your blue-haired cousin?" he asked as if Kain was standing there. "A princess of the skies… only fitting for a Highwind, right? I would make you more than that, if only you would let me."

…

Mateus Palamecia hated when his father got into one of his political rambling fits, but he hated it even more when there was official government people lurking about the Monster Farm. Matteo stood there with many representatives of the Warriors of the Water, speaking with them in that tone he always used when addressing the masses, telling them all that he would use all his resources to find out exactly what kind of monster it was and why it was sucking energy from underground over in the ship-yards. He leaned up against the wall in his uniform as he listened to that same campaign voice to go on and on about how Palamecia Monster Farm had the safest facilities and there was nothing to fear. This monster would never escape to frighten anyone ever again. All the children and the animals and the…

 _For the love of Cosmos, Father, shut your mouth, no one believes you give a damn about the children, you just want people to vote for you come next term,_ Mateus thought. His arms were crossed and eyes rolling so hard they damn near fell out of their sockets. _You are the reason why every one believes I have such ill intentions…_ he didn't hate his father per se, but he hated being attached to him the way he was. He hated being judged for things that had no bearings on him, and he hated being pushed away for having the Palamecia family name stapled to him for the rest of his life. Mateus didn't want to be a politician, he didn't want to take care of monsters, and he certainly didn't want to be a pandering liar like his fake flake of a father.

It didn't take long before two dragoons, both of which were spoken by the others government officials with the same name, were leading a two-headed monster along with lassos tied to long poles. From what he could hear, there was a Commander Highwind and a Captain Highwind. Mateus picked up his things so he could walk around the gathering more. Highwind? As in, related to Cantirena? Both the Commander and the Captain were blonde men. That's when he he heard his father's obnoxious voice again once the beast was locked away in one of the stables within the largest barn on the farm.

"Such grand work to be expected from the Highwind dragoons," Matteo said, clapping for them. "I am pleased to see that Leviathan called our greatest warriors to assist in such troubling events. Your children will sleep safer at night with this Schizo here in our facility."

The taller, older Highwind slipped off the helmet shaped like a dragon's head. The Commander Highwind from what Mateus could gather. "Don't overpraise us. That's not what we do it for," he grumbled as he addressed the Senator.

"You say that, but you should be commended for your efforts," Matteo said again. That tone was grating. As much as Mateus wanted to listen in to what was being discussed, he was more than sick of hearing that Goddess damned tone! "We should hold a party in your honor this weekend for all you have done!"

The younger Highwind shook his head. This one had the rank of Captain, and he did not wear the helmet like his brother, but he wore a similar uniform that seemed to be made of dark purple dragon scales. It reminded Mateus a lot of Kain's battle training clothes, now that he stopped to think about it. "No. This weekend I am having a celebration for my daughter," he said. "Your political nonsense won't prevent me from-"

"Then allow me to at least provide refreshments for your daughter's party," Matteo suggested. "I will send only the greatest foods money can buy. Perhaps I can buy her something nice! This is a birthday party, isn't it?"

Mateus liked the idea of being to attend a party being held in Canti's honor, but he had the feeling that there was no way that was going to fly. He smiled, hoping he could see her today, and wondering if she even read his letter at all. Did Hikari manage to give it to her? He hoped so. He let out a long sigh, and started to walk away when he heard a fight starting to break out.

"You can keep your damn 'good will' to yourself!"

"Easy, Cid. Easy. We have reports to file back at HQ."

"And what's more is I hear your son has been trying to flirt with my daughter! What could a boy his age be thinkin', flirting with a ten year old girl like that?!"

" **CID**!"

Yeah, there was no way in hell he could attend that party. But, if nothing else, Mateus shared Choir with her, and he could at least speak to her then. She had weird friends and an easily over protective family, but during that little break, it was like none of them existed. He walked out of the Monster Farm and headed down the sidewalk towards the Garden. He looked out at all the chocobo-drawn carriages and the buildings around the cobblestone streets, wondering what it looked like down south where the poorer districts were. He'd never seen them himself. As his eyes traced along the roofs, he noticed something peculiar.

A boy with a long, blonde ponytail was carrying a girl with blue curly hair.

Mateus groaned. Was everything just coming up Highwind today? Perhaps overhearing the discussion, if it could be called that, going on between their parents, it just put those two in the forefront of his mind. There would be no reason for the Highwind cousins to be jumping from roof to roof in this side of town. That's not even something they'd do in the poorer areas, since they were dragoons in training. Of course.

But as he stopped, he watched them land between two buildings.

"Cousin, are you all right?"

"Yes."

That _was_ Canti's voice. Mateus recognized it instantly. But he couldn't say anything. What in blazes were they doing all the way up here to begin with?

"That Ffamran…"

"He prefers to be called Balthier. And he offered to do us a service, Kain. He offered to help! What's wrong with you? No wonder everyone thinks we Highwinds are rude to everyone that isn't in our family… and the way Uncle Richard speaks to Papa Cid sometimes, we're even rude to the people _in_ our family!"

As Canti and Kain came out of the alleyway, Mateus hid himself behind a building, but he watched them closely. What were they doing with one of the Bunansa children this early? How interesting to overhear…

"Father speaks to Uncle Cid like that because they are brothers."

"If I had a brother, I wouldn't disrespect him so much. I don't speak to you like that, Kain. Just like I didn't want to disrespect someone who considers me a friend. Now who knows if he'll ever want to talk to me?"

"Why would you want someone so manipulative to talk to you again?!"

"...I thought he was… kind of dashing…" That sounded like it came with a cute blush. Mateus would have loved to see it.

"You think someone that goes out of their way to frighten you like that is dashing? Come on!"

"His voice was nice, cousin. And he held me very gently, very kindly. It wasn't malicious. He wasn't trying to hurt me. He even said he was concerned because he knows Papa Cid works at the ship-yards and his uncle was the one who found the monster in the first place."

Mateus put his finger to his chin. So it was one of the Bunansas that found that creature… As he walked, more things made sense. Canti seemed to be developing an affection for one Ffamran Bunansa, and Kain just wasn't hearing it. He did his best to keep his laughter internal. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to follow them to Garden.


	21. Chapter 20: Rebrace

The Secret Garden

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

FIC START!

Chapter Twenty

Richard had to practically drag his brother away from making a scene at the Palamecian Monster Farm. It wasn't easy, either, even for a Grand Dragoon. But as the sun's rays were streaking across the sky, the Highwind brothers were finally making their way back through the city towards their part of town. Morning was about half-way over, both of them knowing that their children had gone off to school by then, and with that monster threat out of the way, it was time to file some reports and get back to their day jobs.

"I swear, little brother, I can't take you anywhere!" Richard scolded Cid harshly, glaring at him with that same glare he'd been using on him since their parents passed away sometime during prehistoria. "I know you don't like 'em, but at least do it when the Warriors of the Water aren't being followed by the media. You'll be lucky if this doesn't end up on the evening news broadcast this evening."

"I've wanted to speak to that man about his son harassing my daughter… you have no right to interfere!"

"I do when it might negatively affect the Warriors of the Water, Cid! Discuss that on your own time, not when we're on the clock."

"When does it look like a rather poor ship mechanic will have a word with a rich senator?" Cid retorted. "As a Warrior, I am reputable and can be asked to do these missions where I might cross paths with a man that has a higher status like him. Fuckin' politicians make no time at all for people like me."

"Then that's just going to be how it is, Cid. Canti's a bright girl. She can handle herself against the forces of an evil thirteen year old. No need to be overprotective."

"You don't have a daughter!"

"...Now who's being sexist?"

"Fuck you, asshole."

"Back at you, fuckwit."

…

Kain and Canti made their way to school, with Mateus following a few paces behind them. The last thing Mateus wanted was to set Kain off. That boy overreacted to absolutely everything and it was simply not worth the time to mess with him. He did notice that Canti was irritated at her cousin, which was something he hadn't ever seen before. Typically those two were very familial, perhaps even closer than that, and it made him wonder exactly what kind of relationship they shared.

"I'm just saying that you can't trust anyone that isn't in the family," Kain said insistently. "Especially not Bunansas!"

"You're just repeating whatever your father says because you think that if you don't, you won't be able to be the Grand Dragoon someday," Canti grunted at him, pushing his hand off of her shoulder and walking ahead of him in a huff.

"Canti!" Kain said, suddenly frightened at having made her angry. Oh, now he wasn't even allowed to touch her? But he was only looking out for her safety! "Please don't!" he stopped walking, watching her with a sense of hopelessness.

"You're never yourself, and it's really annoying," she said, continuing to walk even after he stopped following her.

"...I never thought I'd ever see that," Mateus said behind him. "The two of you… having an argument?"

"What are you doing here?!" Kain asked, noticing who approached him.

"I'm sorry, you've been walking through my neighborhood," Mateus shrugged, continuing to walk past Kain. "I'm heading to Garden. I should have asked you what the two of you were doing in the North District when I first saw you, but I figured it was none of my business." He stifled a laugh. "Will you answer me honestly if I were to ask you a sensitive question?"

"Probably not."

"As I suspected. I suppose I'll ask your sweet little cousin instead."

"Leave Canti alone, you-!"

Mateus cocked his head to the side as he approached Kain, slowly reaching to touch his face. "I'm honestly quite mystified at how you treat me, Kain. We were once very close. You once even thought of me affectionately."

Kain froze. "How dare you say that… after… what you _did_ to me…"

"You released, too. It wasn't just me."

The dragoon in training pulled away the moment those well groomed fingers landed on his chin, grasping at his spear to defend himself as he felt nothing short of threatened. "I won't hesitate," he said forcefully. "If I have to use force to defend myself, I will. And you know that I might be a year younger than you, I am damn good at this."

"And, as I might recall, your lovely little cousin happens to be a prodigy just as much as you are," Mateus said with a grin. "You Highwinds… always so talented." He then unhooked the black magic staff he had clinging to his back, ready to unleash a flurry of spells just to put that boy in his place. He didn't know why he had the hunger to be respected and feared, but when it came up, he couldn't fight against it. It was something that his innermost core desired, and the more powerful the submissive, the more he enjoyed it. "I wish I could show you that I do love you and your cousin quite fiercely, Kain."

"What you have in you isn't love," Kain replied.

"Neither is what you have in _you_ ," Mateus retorted, his grin growing that much more. "Oh, Kain, you're adorable. You should see how cute you look when you're pissed off. It makes me want another go at you. Quiver. Mmm, I have to wonder if I'd give your cousin a passing glance if I knew it didn't have such an effect on you. Even if I can see when she grows up, she'll not only be incredibly powerful, but the most beautiful woman ever seen this side of the barrier. Captain Highwind will have a field day trying to keep the boys away from her, but… so will you, right? You don't just like her, no… you want her. You crave her. You can tell me. I won't tell anyone."

"FUCK! YOU!" Kain launched himself into the air, preparing to let loose a jump attack. He had more than enough of Mateus' supple, manipulative voice. All the things he said about their family was enough to drive the young dragoon into a fit of rage. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Mateus raised his staff, erecting a barrier to hold Kain's attack off. The dragoon bounced off it, landing on the ground in front of the mage. He shrugged, using the tip of his staff to bring forth a fireball and shooting it at Kain, which was relatively easy to dodge. Kain made another attack from the air, as that was how he was trained, but Mateus was able to fend him off. Then their weapons clashed loudly, letting off sparks. Kain was a sweaty, enraged mess, and Mateus, while he showed a bit of weariness, didn't let it show as obviously as his opponent. The two were locked in a staring match, defiant until Kain broke away again and tried to use the Lancet ability. It struck him hard, knocking him off his feet, but not before he placed a trap made of lightning on the ground to prevent Kain from leaving their duel. Kain got his left foot ensnared, causing the electricity from the trap to seize up the muscles in his whole left leg, and he tumbled over.

"Let me go!" Kain shouted.

"Ha, as if I'd let you out of my trap… after I've waited so long to catch you again…"

"I'll fight you as long as I draw breath. When you become a corrupt senator like your father, I'll do everything I can to stop any of your evil schemes from passing… I won't let you destroy this country or have anything to do with my cousin…" Kain breathed out, doing all he could to fight against the trap that was sapping every bit of energy that coursed through his body through his leg. "Gah! I hate you!"

"I would not have raised magic or weapon against you, had you not decided to strike me," Mateus said, slowly managing to pick himself back up after being knocked back on his rump. "I only defended myself."

Another voice interrupted them. "Turn it off, Mateus…" it said scoldingly.

Mateus looked behind him to see another black mage in training standing there, a vibrant pink-haired girl named Vanille. She was accompanied by her constant companion, a woman with black hair and an accent of a far away country named Fang. "Why should I do as you say?" he asked. "You two don't matter to me."

"Your whole duel was utter nonsense," Fang said angrily. "Kill it!" She pointed one of the bladed ends of her red lance at Mateus' face. "Emotional manipulation is trickery only the weak would use."

Kain found himself immediately liking this new young woman he had yet to meet. It was clear that she was the older of the two. Clearly the loud girl with pink hair knew Mateus, probably from class. She held a staff in her hand that looked highly adept with black magic. But this woman with black hair held a pole arm, which was very rare these days. The zapping sound of the trap faded away, which allowed Kain to stand again. "Thank you, ladies," he said bashfully, not quite adjusted to the idea of being saved by women. He then looked on, trying to see if he could find his cousin, and when he couldn't, he jumped up into a tree to get a better view. Canti was with Minwu for the moment, which made him sigh in relief. He knew that Minwu would do nothing to hurt her or manipulate her. This morning, that's all she was met with, and damn it, he was going to do everything he could to make sure that nothing would come to pass! He jumped from tree to tree, before landing next to the two of them.

"Canti, please," Kain said. "I'm sorry."

Minwu had his arm around Canti, and the color of her cheeks indicated that tears had been traveling down them. She didn't even say a word to Kain, but leaned into Minwu instead.

"Now, now, at least let your cousin apologize," Minwu said softly.

"I don't want to talk to him. He thinks it's okay to put down members of his own family…"

"I don't believe that," Minwu answered. "Kain has done all he can to look after you. He understands you more than most people do. Give him credit for that, at the very least." He chanted a few words in Mysidian, which caused Canti to relax, and then let her go so he could go about his morning routine. "Take care of yourselves. I won't always be around to soothe you, Canti."

She looked down at the ground. "Kain, I forgive you but..."

"I've been forceful on you, in the name of protection. That's not really how protection works, and it wasn't until just a few moments ago that I realized how much I was forcing my beliefs on you because I thought it would protect you," Kain said. "I'm so sorry, Canti."

"I don't believe you'd do it to hurt me, but honestly… it did hurt."

"I know. I see that. I can't tell you who to be friends with, or who not to be. Just know that if you need someone to talk to, I'll always be here for you. I swear. I love you, Canti. Sometimes, we have to let the things we love go, right?"

"I think that's how it works," she shrugged, finally looking back up at him. "But I'm not quite sure. I don't understand love that well. I'm sorry."

They shared an embrace. Kain wiped away what tears there were on her face. "Well, class starts soon… we should head on…"

Suddenly, they were interrupted.

"Where have you been? We've been so worried!"

Canti groaned. This morning had been too eventful for her tastes. Hikari ran up to both Highwind cousins and Crystal came lagging behind. She wondered how Hikari got so damn fast for a split second before the other two girls snatched Canti by both of her arms and drug her off to class. Kain just stared in amazement before shrugging. Canti was a strange girl, and her friends were just as strange as she.

And that was a good thing, as far as he was concerned.


	22. Chapter 21: Reclarification

The Secret Garden

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

FIC START!

Chapter Twenty One

Hikari glared at Canti at first, but she sensed something was off about Canti before saying anything. How distant her expression was. It wasn't like her mind was completely out to lunch, as it was when she was sick on the couch, but it was like she was fraught with untold worry. She let out a sigh and said, "Hey. Sorry if I reacted too harshly for you. It's just after we agreed to meet, you weren't there…"

"...and your aunt was in your house, not your dad," Crystal added. "It was really weird."

"Something happened this morning. Ffamran was going to tell me what happened, but Kain decided to snatch me away before he could get any answers, and…" Canti just stared at the ground below her feet. "…Kain gets jealous for no good reason! It's so annoying!"

"Who's Ffamran?" Crystal asked.

"Ffamran Bunansa. Apparently his uncle works with Papa Cid at the shipyard, but I don't know everything about it, because everyone refuses to tell me the entirety of what's going on!" Canti shouted. "Gah! I hate it!"

Other students around them were noticing how upset Canti was and started doing everything they could to avoid her while they were walking. She kicked at the ground and pulled out her spear, lashing out at a nearby tree. Hikari and Crystal were so confused by this, considering Canti had never been anything but peaceful and more on the demure side. She made more and more attacks at it, chipping away at the bark. Whatever was going on was throwing Canti off in such a way that she was having a very hard time managing herself. Tears fell from her eyes even though she was consumed with rage.

"I think now would be the best time to go see the Headmaster," Crystal murmured so Canti would not be able to hear her. "You're faster than I am. Can you go tell him about this? I don't know what else to do."

Fueled by her concern for her friend, Hikari gave a nod and zoomed off.

Canti let her rage guide her, causing her to use an attack she'd never known before. It completely broke the tree, and it fell over, landing nearby and getting a mess of leaves everywhere. She breathed heavily, sweat and tears both gliding down her face, unsure of how to handle what she was feeling.

When Hikari brought Leviathan to see what was going on, he could only stand there with a very confused expression on her face. "Oh my," he said, putting his hand on Canti's shoulder. "Come to my office, Miss Highwind."

"Headmaster…" Canti cried, "…oh… oh no…"

"You aren't in trouble," Leviathan said gently. "I know about the beast that your father went to go hunt. I know you're worried and scared."

"A beast?!" Crystal and Hikari breathed out at the same time, both curious and afraid to know more about this.

"But we can't have you scaring the rest of the students. It's not public knowledge yet," Leviathan said, picking her up into his arms. "You two may come with me, too. She could use your company." He motioned for Hikari and Crystal to come along with them, and the two girls followed.

…

Cid stood at one of the many report kiosks in the office for the Warriors of the Water. He hated having to do everything through the Sphere Communication System, especially when a lot of the automated answers were not what he needed to write down. Because of his duty to the military, he had been excused from working at the shipyards today, which meant he could go home and take care of things there before Canti came home. He worried for her more than anything else, as was a father's duty, but as he keyed in a few more commands upon the touchscreen, he felt a something in his gut. Something wasn't right.

This Schizo monster, a two headed hydra-like dragon, that he had to reign in with his brother's help… it wasn't like the monsters found in the training facility of the Warriors of the Water. It wasn't anything like monsters he remembered fighting, but he still knew what it was called. A Schizo. He still remembered that one head spat fire, and the other spat ice. How did he remember that? He knew he had been a pilot in his younger years, but now that he spent time thinking about he, he had no idea where all he had flown. Where all he had gone and been. If he were such a renowned pilot like all the records say, then why did he not remember everywhere he had gone and all the adventures he had been a part of? The country of Dagurreo wasn't very big. If he was a pilot, didn't he go outside the barrier? What did he do while out there? Why didn't he remember any of the time he was a pilot?!

He scratched his head worriedly. "What in the hell is going on here?" he asked himself.

…

Leviathan had the three girls sitting together on a rather fluffy couch in his office with Canti between Hikari and Crystal. He offered them all tea and cookies, and sat on the other side of the table in his own chair. "Now, what I'm going to tell you is not to be discussed with anyone else in Garden, ladies," Leviathan said formally. "What happened is being kept between the Warriors of the Water and the Senators."

"The Senators?" Hikari asked. "But my dad, he's a bodyguard for-"

"I know all about him, Miss Murasaki," Leviathan said, putting his hand up to silence her. "The three of you are children of powerful figures in the government, which means that it's all right for me to discuss this with you."

"Even me?" Crystal inquired. "My Grandpa's nothing special."

"Actually, Master Tobul is important to our armory. While he doesn't work anymore himself, he is the head manager for our weapons and armor development departments for the Warriors of the Water," Leviathan said. "He used to work as a blacksmith, but now he's just in charge of making sure things go where they need to, really." He smiled at her. "Now, this morning, a man by the name of Otto Bunansa discovered a monster on the shipyards."

Canti recognized the name. Balthier had mentioned it while they were at the restaurant this morning, said it was his uncle who had found the creature. And he wanted to tell her about it, because he knew her father worked there. _Kain was wrong! Balthier wasn't lying at all!_ She thought, chomping angrily on one of the moogle-shaped cookies on the plate in front of her.

"A monster? Like what they have out on the monster farm up north?" Hikari asked. "I've seen the Zemletts and Zus up there… they aren't very scary."

"No. This one was different. It was larger, meaner, and was eating energy from below the ground," Leviathan explained. "A two-headed dragon with the powers of fire and ice, known as a Schizo."

"But if it's a monster," Crystal said, "Why not have the monster farm deal with that? Isn't that their job? What's it got to do with the Warriors and the Senators?"

Leviathan nodded, loving just how sharp these girls were. How they picked up on little things very quickly. "You remember why you all have to practice your combat basics every day, right?"

"There's some kind of enemy out there," Canti said as she finished the cookie she was eating. "Outside the barrier."

"The greatest enemy ever known to existence," Leviathan said as he nodded again. "The barrier protects us from it for now. But it has been foretold that eventually, it will get in, and it will consume us utterly. This is why even if we are all protected by our barrier, we must hone our skills to fight and protect those who are weaker than we are. Your upperclassmen are trained to defend you, and this year, you will be trained to defend children even smaller than yourselves." He looked at Canti. "You feel it, don't you?"

"I have. Minwu told me he's felt something like it, too. The darkness that consumes all." Canti hugged her arms.

"He is quite the special young man, yes," Leviathan said with a gentle smile. He shipped those two so hard, and it made his day knowing those two shared such a connection. "Now, ladies, the story continues. Captain Highwind, Canti's father, went to bring the monster to a place where it can be studied. We don't know what it was eating from below the ground, and we don't know why a monster not native to these lands would be found here. It's been captured and detained. I know you were worried about your father, but he is safe. You can calm your fears."

Canti just nodded.

"I'll walk you three to class so your tardiness won't be counted against you," he said, standing up. "Canti, are you in control of yourself again? Can you handle a normal day?"

She just nodded again, standing up.

"Then let us go."

…

Cid didn't have his own desk. He wasn't a high enough rank for that within the ranks of the warriors. So when he needed a moment, he just sat in his older brother's office. He felt suddenly overwhelmed with all the thoughts that had been going through his head. Richard didn't mind letting him have a moment to process everything, after all, Cid had lost his head out there when faced with Senator Palamecia, and that was very unlike him.

"Commander, might I speak freely for a moment?" Cid asked.

"I'm listening," Richard answered while he keyed things in furiously on the touchscreen built into his desk. The Grand Dragoon always had so many things to do. It was no wonder why Kain was always the same way, now that Cid had a moment to notice it.

Cid continued, "Do you remember when I was a pilot, working for the Administration?"

"I do. You were gone quite a lot. Always making Mother fret over you before she passed, may she rest in peace…"

"Do you remember anything about where all I had gone on my flights?" Cid asked. "Did I ever tell you about the places I was going?"

"Not a lot, no," Richard answered. "You didn't like to talk about work. I never asked, because you never seemed like you wanted to discuss it. One time you mentioned how you hated your cargo, since you still smelled like it, but you never mentioned about where you were going. I figured since you were allowed outside that you'd have enjoyed the trips, but honestly, you acted like you hated everything about it. Always came back extremely worn out."

Cid blinked a few times, only feeling that much more confused. "The truth is, brother, I don't remember a single minute of it."

"...if you hated it so much, perhaps that's a good thing."

"I'm serious, Richard, I don't remember going on these flights! I don't remember going anywhere at all! If I was a pilot, then I would remember something about where I had gone, but I don't!"

"Cid, please. Your life is much happier now since you became a father, right? Perhaps your mind is just trying to put all of this behind you so you can focus on the now. Cantirena needs you to be steady and stable," Richard said, using that tone he always used when he wanted to exert his expert older brother authority. "You don't need to worry about the past."

"But, doesn't it seem strange to you?"

"I don't have time to discuss this sort of thing with you. If you wish to speak to someone about your memory, might I suggest you get yourself a shrink." Richard snapped at him. "Now get out of my office. I have more things to take care of before checking the new recruits."

"Richard, just answer me this one question."

"What now?"

"We've never seen a monster like that here within our barrier. Not even on the farm up north. So how the hell did I know that thing is called a Schizo?! How did I know how to fight it? You didn't know it had a head that spits fire and a head that spits ice, now did you?" Cid couldn't hold back how worried he'd grown over this. "Something is wrong, Richard!"

"...it is," Richard said with a nod. "Go home and rest. You've been through a lot lately. I'll put you on the reserves so you don't have to serve every time something like this comes up. You need the time off. I can see that. Go home… rest… take care of your daughter, Cid. Please, don't make me call anyone about this..."

"You wouldn't dare…"

"If you keep talking like this, you'll give me no choice. Just concentrate on your home life right now, and I'll take care of all the work regarding this monster. Remember, Cantirena's celebration party is this weekend. Tell her to invite a few friends."

Cid stood up and picked up all his things. "Fine…"

"Cid. Be careful."


	23. Chapter 22: Reconnect

The Secret Garden

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

FIC START!

Chapter Twenty-Two

Canti barely registered going through her Combat Basics class. She didn't really remember going through her Magician's Mastery, either. At lunchtime, she picked up a dragon meat pizza from the cafeteria and sat under the tree where she first met Mateus, as it had become a favorite place on the campus for her to sit and eat. She didn't even bother waiting for her friends, or her cousin, or anyone else. She ate with a most annoyed look on her face as she stewed in the fact that she was angry at Kain for telling her one thing, when it certainly wasn't true. Oh, she was going to lay into him if she saw him again today. Lay into him so hard, she might just skewer him.

It didn't take long for the friends she'd grown since starting school that week to flock around her. First came Hikari, because she always moved faster than everyone else within their little group. Minwu came after her. Vivi and Tidus followed him. Then Crystal. Kain came up last, holding the exact same disposable lunch tray with the exact same food as Canti, and wanting to sit next to her. Canti gave him a very sharp look, only making Kain sputter with worry. His fine eyebrows folded upward. How sad he was to be greeted in such a way by the one he cared about the absolute most.

"Cousin, is something wrong?" he asked immediately, causing the others to lay eyes on them and their display.

"Of course _not_ ," Canti grumbled at him, pulling a piece of her pizza loose while looking straight up at him with this hateful glare.

"Holy crap," Tidus said, grabbing Kain by the ponytail. "Here, you come sit by me, man. She looks like she's about to kill you." Kain sat, because there was no where else on campus he would really be all that welcome, and he ate extremely slowly, unable to take his eyes off Canti.

Hikari agreed with Tidus' assessment, and considering how close the Highwind cousins happened to be, she didn't quite understand exactly why Canti would be like this.

"...Canti," Minwu said kindly. He wanted to get to the bottom of this, but he didn't want anyone asking direct questions to upset her further. "May I ask you how your school day has been thus far?"

"Just peachy," Canti grumbled in reply. Pulling school pizza loose was almost impossible. The greasy cheese refused to part enough for her to eat slices. "I went to Combat Basics and did the daily reps, as usual. And I went to Magician's Mastery, and I wrote the spell transcriptions, as usual. Nothing too different, I guess."

But there was something more. Minwu knew that Canti was not the type to be angry without a reason. "Did you meet with anyone today that you normally don't?" he inquired cautiously.

"Nope," Canti said, shoving a piece into her mouth regardless of how messy it was. If her mouth was full, she didn't have to answer questions, which is one reason why she got such a big lunch today. Normally, she wouldn't bother with a whole pizza, but today she was so set on avoiding everyone's gaze that she decided food would be better that conversation.

"Did someone say something mean to you?" Vivi asked as he adjusted his over-sized mage hat. He'd been trying to ask them for a hat that fit better, but no such luck yet. The brim extended far over his tiny head and looked more like a hood to surround his head than an actual hat. Vivi thought it was kind of annoying, but many people thought it was quite cute. "Sometimes, I meet people and they say mean things for no reason."

"Nothing like that," Canti grunted. "Please stop asking. This is between me and Kain, and I'm not going to get the rest of you involved. It's just not right to involve you in our family nonsense."

"Okay, enough is enough," Kain said. "Spit it out, cousin. What did I do to you that was so bad that I warrant this kind of treatment? I apologized this morning, what more do you want?!"

Canti turned her gaze back down to her pizza. "You apologized for one thing… not this. And it's something I've been told I can't discuss with anyone else at school because it isn't public knowledge yet, so we can't talk about it here. Just eat your lunch and we'll talk about this later."

Crystal recognized that. So Kain was also aware of the Schizo monster that they discussed with Leviathan that morning, too. But since Minwu, Kain, and Vivi weren't, Canti had to keep it to herself. She wondered what the missing link that would cause Canti to be so angry at Kain was. She kept eating her lunch and trying not to get involved. She, too, was also told not to spread that information around.

"Cantirena…" Kain muttered, picking up his lunch and jumping out of sight. He left the rest of the group in a very tense situation, where everyone seemed afraid to speak to everyone else.

Minwu put his hand on Canti's head, suddenly pulling her close to him. "This is connected to your dream, isn't it?" he asked in a whisper. "You had a nightmare about the darkness, and now it's coming. The enemy, they all call it." No one else seemed to be able to hear him.

She didn't want to say anything. She just nodded.

"You and I, we are similar…" he continued to whisper. "…how we can sense it's approach."

But Canti knew there was more to it. How the Ardent was starting to show itself through the strange monster her father had to go fight.

"But, Canti, you can't let this put a divide between you and your allies who are not as sensitive as you are," Minwu whispered very gently. "You cannot be alone, or this knowledge can destroy you. I have found an odd companionship with your cousin and a few others here and there, even if they do not sense the incoming doom that I do. Do not worry… you aren't alone in this," He turned his head, planting a kiss on Canti's forehead before letting her go. "I will see you during our final class of the day, yes?"

Canti blushed at Minwu's simple kiss. No one other than her father had given her a kiss before, and she wasn't exactly sure of how to take it. "Of… of course, I-I'll be there…" she half-mumbled, half-stammered.

"Wonderful. I shall see you there," Minwu said, finishing up his lunch and leaving.

Hikari and Crystal both gave her a curious grin once the white mage in training had left.

"That was a kiss!" Crystal exclaimed. "He gave you a kiss!"

Canti nodded.

"I think Minwu really likes you," Hikari said, just as excited as Crystal was. "Like… like enough to love you!"

"...girls," Tidus sighed, kinda bored. "They see one bit of affection and go totally bonkers…"

Vivi just blinked. "Isn't it a good thing? They seem happy about it."

"It… it wasn't like in the movies, where it was on the lips or anything," Canti said dismissively. "I don't think it was… like… a love kiss or anything… Love doesn't happen until you're thirty!"

"Who told you that?" Hikari asked, laughing at how absurd it was.

"Papa Cid!" Canti declared.

Crystal facepalmed. "Never believe your parents about love."

"But Papa Cid doesn't lie…"

It was at this mystical moment that both Hikari and Crystal realized that Canti was more naive than she let on to be, and that she had been raised to be more sheltered than even they were. Canti was genuinely flustered by Minwu giving her a kiss. It came off as adorable to both of her friends within the Technicolor Dream Team, and they were determined to help Canti make this relationship happen.

"Look at you," Hikari said. "Got a love letter from one boy, and a kiss from another… and you just have no clue what's going on around you."

"The letter from Mateus wasn't a love letter," Canti insisted. "It was asking me to be his friend forever because he doesn't have a lot of friends. He's lonely."

Crystal shook her head. "That's not what he meant. He said one thing and completely meant something else. Something deeper."

"What? Why wouldn't he just say he likes me, if he did?" Canti grumbled.

"Think about what would happen if your dad got a hold of that letter," Hikari said. "You know both you and Mateus probably wouldn't fare well if he said he likes you. So he asked you to be friends. It's that simple."

"No, it's not simple at all!" Canti replied loudly.

…

Minwu managed to catch up to Kain, who had made his way past the training grounds on his own. There were monsters in that entire field, which meant that he had to be on his toes, but Minwu knew there was no where else that Kain would go when he was upset like that. The two had been close friends since they started at Garden, and Kain even expected Minwu would track him down the way he did.

"Have you come to scold me?" Kain asked. "If you have, just turn around and go the other way. I do not have it in me to endure one of your lectures."

"Not at all… Kain, listen… you remember how I told you last year about how I can sense the Ardent's forces beyond the barrier?" Minwu was just as gentle with him as he had been with Canti.

"I do…"

Minwu sat down next to Kain. "One of the reasons why your cousin is so irritable, so sensitive to everything is because she has the same ability."

"...what?!"

"She has dreams of its approach. Same as I do." The mage was quiet and tried to be calming for his dragoon friend. "Sometimes she's full of nothing but sadness or rage because she doesn't know how to handle this all encompassing fear."

"Minwu-" Kain started, but cut himself off before he could continue again.

"Say your mind. I've confessed far more to you than I should have in the last year," Minwu said. "You know I have no judgment for you."

"I'm not scared of that, my friend," Kain said, shaking his head. "The way she looked at me, it ripped my heart to shreds. You called it when you said that I was showing the signs that I love her… I do love her. Deeply. Deeper than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life. And… and she's my cousin!"

"I figured as much," Minwu said. "But you have to understand that her heart is in all sorts of knots, and…"

"Minwu. I want you to do me a favor." Kain said, turning to face him directly.

"Of course. We are friends. I'll do anything to help-"

"I want you to marry my cousin!"

"...I'm sorry, what?"

"She trusts you. You both have similar abilities. You're able to calm her. I know for a fact that you'd never hurt her at all. You'd love her the way I would want to," Kain said. "Please. I'm begging you! Marry Cantirena and protect her!"

"Kain, I can't force myself onto your cousin."

"...but… someone has to… someone has to…"

"I do like your cousin. She is lovely and a wonderful person to be around. But… I can't… marry her. We're barely in school!"

"MINWU JUST PROMISE ME TO GIVE ME PEACE OF MIND!"

"...oh, all right… I promise…"


	24. Chapter 23: Renounce

The Secret Garden

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to my friends for allowing me to borrow your characters. If you wish to appear, please send me a message and we can work something out.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

FIC START!

Chapter Twenty-Three

Canti's day continued once lunch concluded and she was in the Chorus once again. She sang and did her part as always, but it was the break that really caught her attention. It was the only time she could talk with Mateus without ever having anyone else listen in, since none of their other chorus members seemed to give a shit about what was going on between them. It became something of a ritual for one to retrieve water for the other during their short break, and Mateus was happy that she didn't once push him away or act as if he was some sort of pariah the way her cousin did.

"...thank you," she was first to break the silence between them, even though he brought her the water cup. "Hikari gave me your letter."

"I was afraid she wouldn't," Mateus said honestly, sitting beside her. He didn't try to reach for her or look for any sort of physical connection between them, but he did turn his head to converse with her, letting her know that she was being heard. "It turns out your girlfriends are far nicer to you than your cousin. It's unfortunate you were not adopted by the Murasakis or Tobuls."

"...funny you should mention that," Canti replied softly. "Kain and I've not gotten along at all today. But I don't think it's unfortunate at all, because I have Papa Cid." She smiled at that, even though she knew that he would not be happy to know of this budding friendship, and hiding it from him did bother her a lot. "I couldn't ask for a better father."

"Still. You Highwinds seem to be hard to connect to in general, to those of us outside your shared family name."

She looked directly into his purple eyes. "I don't want to be like that. Kain is afraid of something, perhaps something in the past? I don't really know. He's defensive because he's afraid. I wish he'd tell me what he is so afraid of, but since he won't, I can't do anything for him. Whatever." Canti shrugged as she said, "I don't want to be afraid all the time. I want to get to know people outside of the family. I want to see the world outside the barrier. I want to explore and go and see things, experience things…"

"Even though you are safe within the barrier, you wish to go outside it?"

"...Mateus, I don't think we're all that safe within the barrier…"

He shook his head. "I'm amazed that the rest of our class does not hear you. No one ever speaks that way."

"If we're so safe here… why was there a dark beast roaming about in the wee hours of the morning?" Canti asked very quietly. She knew she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about it, but it slipped out. It was literally all she could think about the entire day, aside from the argument with her cousin. Things normally weren't so disjointed between them. It felt wrong for them to be in a fight at all. "Oh… whoops. I let that slip…"

"...truth is, I all ready knew about that," he whispered back. "When the beast was caught, they took it up to my family's monster farm. I saw both Commander and Captain Highwind this morning with it." Mateus sighed as he kept staring at her. "You have not forgotten about the monster farm, have you?"

"I haven't forgotten. It's because of your father that my father doesn't want me to be friends with you. Like you'll corrupt me or something."

"I like you the way you are, Canti."

"...thanks, Mateus."

They shared a moment of just looking at each other, feeling connected and as if they understood one another, before the blonde black mage began to speak again. "So. Have you decided on your wish?"

"You mean the thing you mentioned at the end of your letter?"

"Mhm."

"I know what I'd love to ask for, but I don't think you'll be able to make it happen."

"Canti, if there is any way I can make you happy, I will do all in my power to make it happen. Just tell me what it is."

She blushed a little. "I want to get all my friends together for a picnic! Where we can all just sit together and be friends. Talk about stuff, eat snacks, enjoy the outside, all that good stuff."

"A picnic?" Mateus almost forgot who he was talking to. She was gentle and kind, sure, but she was also very innocent. He half expected her to say something extremely grand or lavish, as that was the kind of girls that he was used to being around due to his father's social circles. Jihl Nabaat certainly would have demanded more than that, seeing as she was the daughter of Senator Barthadelus. And then there was those two young ladies, Edea and Adel, who were related to the awful lady Senator Ultimecia. The only girl he remembered remotely liking within the ranks of the other senator's children was Senator Braska's daughter, Yuna, and even she would have wanted more than just a simple picnic. "This is all you wish for?"

"Well… yes!"

"I should not question such a simple request!" he said. "I will give you a picnic!"

She looked up at him, the gratefulness so visible on her face that he felt something within him melt. "You're so nice, Mateus… I hate how so many people get the wrong impression about you…" Her smile was genuine. How happy she was that he said such a thing. It was all he could have asked for.

 _I never thought someone with such power within could be so innocent…_ he thought. _But it doesn't matter…_

…

Canti and Minwu practiced basic Mysidian together while Professor Bismark slept on the floor behind his desk. He was always able to explain things in ways that made sense to her. He was always able to be patient, correcting her gently. She was bright, her mind absorbing all they went over pretty quickly. He enjoyed teaching her what he knew.

They had a very simple conversation in his family's mother tongue, all the while the promise Minwu made to Kain ringing through his mind. Minwu never intended to marry. He wasn't interested in having a family of his own. He was work-oriented, and his work was all about caring for the wounded and hurt. Canti was kind and pretty, smart and witty, but he couldn't just fall in love with her because Kain demanded him do so. Minwu hoped that promise would fade away from Kain's memory over time, and that was just him trying to find a way to resolve his daily anxiety about someone finding out about his almost obvious crush on his adopted cousin. Not only that, but Minwu wondered if Kain ever thought about Canti's feelings about it. But there was no reason to stir the pot further.

"Minwu," she said suddenly, "…are you really close friends with Kain?"

"Kain doesn't have a lot of friends because of his nature," Minwu said. "But… please, Focus on the lesson, Canti. We don't have much longer before the day ends."

"Sorry."

"No, I realize that's been on your mind all throughout the day, and it's unfair to you to ask you to keep your feelings to yourself when so few people take them into consideration," Minwu answered gently. "But now is not the time to discuss this. If I am going to teach you, then I fully expect your full attention."

She nodded in agreement, going back to the textbook he had been lending to her. She read out a few words, and Minwu complemented on them. It was almost as if she'd been speaking this language her whole life, but it was only coming back over time. He knew she had been adopted, but the thought about who her real parents were didn't escape his mind. Where had she been from and what happened to the people who birthed her? The only other people he'd ever met thus far in his life who could speak this language were his parents, and they had a way about them that made him feel ostracized from the rest of the community. Minwu's family wore different clothing, and no one else had their color skin. No one spoke their language. Last year had been tough on him, even though he had proven his skill in all areas of white magic very quickly, he dealt with a lot of problems from other students for being so radically different. It was only Kain who stopped to help him and their slow, awkward friendship began to take form. Now, Minwu had a few more people in his social circle, but no one he'd consider incredibly important to him. Not until…

The bell rang, and for the straight minute that the sound played, Canti covered her ears. She hated that sound going off all throughout the day as it made her incredibly sensitive ears hurt. Even if it was important for the school day's function.

"It's over now," Minwu said. "Since you need it more than I do, I wish you to take this book back home. I have all of this memorized, since I live in a home that speaks only in Mysidian." He grabbed his glowing staff to attach it to his back and all of his other belongings.

"Wait… Minwu! Can I ask you one more thing?" Canti asked when she noticed he was turning to leave.

"I hope it isn't about Kain."

"No, no it's not!" Canti said, gathering her things to follow him. "It's about… your staff."

"I told you. This is a Stardust Rod, and it is for enhancing white magic-"

She shook her head. "Do you know what mythril shards are?" she asked. "Do you know how your father got that staff?"

He looked at his staff, and then back at her. "Canti…" he whispered. "…how do you know what mythril shards are?"

She whispered in return, "This morning, before all of this craziness happened, I was visited by a moogle outside of the restaurant where we had breakfast. He told me to find five mythril shards, and I could bring them to him to get a weapon that was meant for only me."

Minwu suddenly gripped around her.

"Papa Cid and Uncle Richard both have named weapons, but I know if I asked them, they'd try to tell me it's not important or something like that. But… I know it is!" she said with a sudden insistence. "I'm tired of people telling me what to think!"

"If you were visited by the moogle, then you have a very important destiny and you need a weapon with that strange power that only named weapons seem to possess," he said, letting her go. "Do not tell anyone else about this. Mythril shards are rare, and only appear to those who have faced great danger and prove themselves worthy of having them. If your family knew about this, they would do all they could to keep you from it."

"Kain was there, too…"

"Yes. I had a feeling he also had an incredible destiny."

"But… what do I do? How do I get them?"

"...grow in your skill, Cantirena, and it will come to you. This danger will seek you out." Minwu said, turning to leave. "Now go home and study. Please."


	25. Chapter 24: Refortify

The Secret Garden

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to Tibby-san and MajoHikari for continued support of this little story.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Eventually all this stuff on this list: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Twenty-Four_

Cid didn't even bother going to work that day. He did as his brother told him to do, which was head home and focus on what was 'important'. Sure, it felt as if he was losing his mind, but ultimately, Cantirena was what mattered the most to him. All those memories missing from his mind didn't matter, did they? He crossed paths with his sister-in-law, Erina, who told him all about the misunderstanding that was that very morning, and he said he actually expected that to happen. She was very particular about how she wanted her hair done, how she wore her clothes, and the only person who understood how all of these little nuances played a big part of her daily life was Cid himself.

"Bye, everyone!" Canti's voice said from outside. "See you tomorrow!"

When she walked through the front door, wiping her dress shoes on their welcome mat, he greeted her with a much needed hug for the both of them. He gripped her to him more tightly than usual. How he needed to see his daughter, to ruffle those blue curls and kiss the forehead underneath with the same skin as the pale moon.

"Papa Cid," she grunted, "Are you okay?"

"I'm better now that you're home. It's been such a long day…" he couldn't go into detail with her, but what he said wasn't exactly a lie. "…how are you, baby girl?"

"...so much going on lately…" she answered quietly, glad when he finally let go of her. Canti went to go put away all of her things for school and change out of her uniform.

"You have homework?"

Canti reached into her bag and pulled out the textbook Minwu had given her. "I did say I would study tonight," she said, placing it on the dining table.

"What even is that?" Cid asked as he looked at the cover of the book.

"That is Mysidian," she said. "Minwu says I'm good at it for a beginner…" Canti put away the rest of her school stuff before sitting at the table and cracking the book open to where she and Minwu were going over it together in class. "…so I'm supposed to pick it up really easily, because of the tests, you know?"

"Right," Cid agreed. "I wish I could help you with it, but I don't speak anything but incoherent mumblings from time to time."

Canti giggled loudly. Her whole body shook with laughter. "Papa, I understand you!" she kept laughing for a while.

"But I must be doing something right, being able to make you laugh like that. Just dunno what," Cid leaned in to kiss her forehead again before turning to the kitchenette and starting dinner. "I bet you're hungry."

"You bet I am!"

"That's my girl! You've always been a big eater. Thought with all the stuff this morning, that you'd be thrown off, but you seem to be taking things well enough," he said, pulling out a pot. "How's soup sound tonight?"

"Will you make those little grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it?"

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't planning to make the whole meal, you silly girl. What is a soup without a sandwich?"

She laughed again. At least here at home, things made sense. Who cared what was going on with weird two-headed monsters appearing out of nowhere, mysterious moogles asking for mythril, or the drama with her cousin, or the weird friendship she was growing with the older boy in the choir? None of that mattered when Papa Cid was singing while cooking dinner after the end of a long day. He snapped his fingers as he sang, causing her to sing along with him, and for that moment nothing else in the world even existed.

"Papa…"

"...yes, darlin'?"

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"Being my Papa."

"You don't have to thank me for that."

"But I do, because you chose me. You adopted me when they were convinced I was… not adoptable."

Cid turned to look at her again, and even though she had her textbook open to study, she still had a distant look on her face. He panicked, wondering if he was going to have to request another memory extraction from Leviathan. What could have given her so much anguish? "I'm honored to be your father," he said. "I can be nothing but proud of you." He turned back to his pot, throwing in all sorts of veggies. "I love you, Canti."

"I love you, too…" Canti looked back down at her book.

"Hey… so your Uncle Richard wants to throw you a party this weekend," Cid said.

"What? Why?"

"To celebrate your becoming a dragoon, like the rest of the family. Highwinds from across history have all been dragoons," Cid said, smiling. "We threw one for Kain, it only makes sense that we'd throw one for you. We always do lessons and stuff like that with all of our dragoon family for the newcomer. It's a great big tradition for us." He beamed with pride as he thought about it. "So he told me to tell you to invite a few friends."

"Oooh! I bet Hikari and Crystal would come!" Canti seemed excited about that.

"Do you have any more friends?"

"Well…" Canti thought about it for a moment. "…yeah. There's Minwu and Kain, and…"

"...and?"

Canti almost said Mateus' name, but she decided not to say any more. And Kain told her that Bunansas weren't exactly on good terms with the family either, so she didn't mention Ffamran, either. "That's all. I don't have any more friends. Tidus and Vivi are more Hikari's friends than mine."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I think you should still invite Tidus and Vivi anyway. They came to visit you when you were sick. It's a nice way of thanking them for caring about you," Cid said, turning to present her with a warm bowl of veggie soup and a grilled cheese alongside it. "Vivi did give you that flower."

"You're right…" Canti said, not really wanting to talk about her friends with him anymore. The more they stayed on this topic, the more likely it was that she'd slip up and mention she was hanging around people that Cid wouldn't approve of. "That would be the nice thing to do."

"Put your book away. I'd hate for you to get food all over it. I don't even know where to get a replacement for a text like that." Cid walked around the table to get a good look at its cover again. He stared at it for a moment. It looked familiar, but where had he seen it before? It lodged in his memory even as he went to serve himself dinner. He had seen that exact book before and trying to remember where made his brain hurt. Was it during one of his travels on the other side of the barrier? Just like when he remembered the two-headed Schizo, now he's remembering a book. Was the Schizo from the same place as the book? It didn't make any sense…

Canti ate without another word for a good while, but she watched Cid very carefully amid her silence. He seemed distraught ever since he mentioned that party, and truthfully, she felt terrible about him being in such stress over it. She didn't need a party, even if she had never had one before, if it was just going to make him hurt. "Papa, maybe I don't need a party."

Cid shook his head and insisted. "No, pumpkin, you do. You are a Highwind, same as all the rest of us, and you're training to be a dragoon, so you deserve the same treatment as any other person in the family."

"I'm not even… a real Highwind."

"That's bullshit. You are a real Highwind. You are my daughter."

"But Papa, I'm nothing like Kain."

"Of course you're not. He's my nephew, but he's so different from me that I don't think I could handle him. You, on the other hand, taking care of you comes naturally. We're a perfect fit." Cid smiled at her warmly, only wanting to reassure her despite all her doubts. "It doesn't matter who gave birth to you. You were meant to be my daughter."

Canti's sad face slowly faded away as she finished her soup. "There are times where I wonder… if I hadn't been in the orphanage, where I would be…" she said. "…did I have brothers or sisters?"

"Are you… unhappy, Canti?"

"Papa Cid," she said, "I'm not happy, but I can't help but wonder… where am I from?"

"I don't know," Cid answered honestly. "But I'm sure that eventually, you'll find out. One way or another, you'll know where you are from and what your destiny is."

"Destiny." Canti repeated it. Minwu had used it, too, when she mentioned the mythril shards the moogle asked for. There had to be a reason why they both used it. She found the determination within to bring it up. "Papa… can I tell you a secret?"

He nodded.

"You can't tell _anyone_."

"My lips are sealed." He leaned in close to her.

"Kain and I, when we were out yesterday morning… we met someone weird. It was a moogle, like all the moogles at Garden that help the headmaster, but he had some kind of glowing box-table thingy with him. It gave off the same kind of glow that your Venus Gospel does, you know?" Canti explained, cautiously, worriedly. She was hesitant to say anything else.

Cid's eye's widened upon hearing that. He hadn't met with the moogle in years, and he barely remembered it. "Did he say anything to you?" He knew he was with Richard at the time, but not much else. He had no idea where it was, though. His memory lapses were becoming nothing more than annoying lately.

"He knew my real name! I don't tell that to strangers…" she replied. "…And he said that if he brought me five mythril shards, he could give me the weapon meant just for me."

"Mythril shards?"

"Yeah. I don't even know what that is!"

Cid sighed. "I wouldn't worry about it for now. Just focus on school and the rest of it will come."

"...really? It's… been on my mind all day…"

"I could imagine it would be. Finish up your study so you can shower and be ready for tomorrow. Don't worry about the strange moogle."

"You won't tell anyone, will you? It's… it's _weird_!"

"I told you I wouldn't. I always keep my promises, especially when they are to you," Cid said, hugging around her. He got up to collect their dirty dishes. "I won't tell a single soul."

"Thanks, Papa."

Cid decided that since it wasn't hurting anyone for her to remember that experience, he wasn't going to report it to the headmaster. After his exchange with his brother that morning, he started to wonder if Leviathan had done something to his memories the way they did to Canti just a little bit ago. It made him ache, to think that she would try to recall something she needed to know and it could potentially be missing from her memory entirely. His head hurt the more he tried to recall memories from his travels, or further in his past than just his adoption of Cantirena. If he didn't feel bad before about his reporting on her, he felt doubly so now. He watched her put away the Mysidian textbook and get ready to wrap up the night, then he took care of his own mess.

The first week of school had been crazy. Both Cid and Canti wondered if they'd ever have another normal day again. Cid, in his mind, hoped that there could be some sort of normalcy in their lives, for Canti's sake. Canti, on the other hand, had this shaking feeling that just would not leave her.

Their lives would never be normal again.


	26. Chapter 25: Reinvitation

The Secret Garden

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to Tibby-san and MajoHikari for continued support of this little story.

Notes: This is the sequel to Records of Keeper Canti. It's wibby-wobbly, timey-whimy in its execution. I care not. If you care, shut the fuck up and go away. If you don't like it, don't read it.

Warnings: Eventually all this stuff on this list: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Twenty-Five_

Canti didn't need any help from Cid to get ready for the day. She didn't speak much, either, until she was standing outside waiting for her friends' inevitable morning approach. She wasn't sure how she felt. Part of her was super excited to be able to invite them to the party her father brought up before, but part of her would rather just try to get through the day without talking to anyone. She didn't know how to feel or what to feel, considering that even in her dreams, she wasn't able to forget the moogle telling her about the mythril shards and having her own named weapon. She wanted that much more than some party that everyone else in the family has had every time they decided to go down the path of the dragoon. The only good thing about it, she figured, was the fact that she did feel as if she was part of the family since she was given the same treatment as Kain and anyone else who followed down the same path, but even so, she did feel like her choice wasn't being honored. It was more about the family tradition, than her choice. Her ability. But that moogle telling her that there was a way for her to get a unique weapon all of her own? Now that was exciting!

"Good morning!" Crystal said, carrying that huge ass hammer over her shoulder as if it was nothing. "All the things that have happened this week, I thought we wouldn't get a chance to walk together again anytime soon."

"Eh, nothing's happening this morning," Canti said quietly. "Papa Cid is still half asleep, so I just took care of myself."

"Well if nothing's wrong, then why do you look so worried?" Hikari asked.

"What? I'm not worried," Canti said defensively. She was going to divert the subject immediately, simply so she didn't have to talk about anything. "In fact, my family is throwing a party this weekend…. and you, uhh, you two are invited."

"Oh! Is it your birthday?!" Hikari gasped.

"Oh, no, nothing like that. The Highwind family throws a party for everyone who follows the path of the dragoon," Canti said, shrugging. "I guess that means even if I am adopted, I'm really a part of the family. Papa Cid said to invite a few friends."

"When is it? Where is it?!" Crystal asked. She was just as excited as Hikari. Canti made a note that normal girls were excited over parties.

"Tomorrow afternoon. At the Highwind Manor."

"The Highwind Manor is a fancy place. I'm not sure if I have clothes that nice," Crystal muttered. "I'll have to ask Grandpa if he'll get me a new dress or something. I would feel really underdressed in pretty much anything I have in my closet."

"There's a Highwind Manor?" Hikari asked in total disbelief. "Then why do you guys live here in this tiny house?! I mean, it doesn't even have a bathroom, a corner of your living room is devoted to being a shower!"

Canti shrugged. "Papa Cid said something about wanting to live his life his way. Apparently my Uncle Richard inherited the position of family lead, and they rubbed heads a bit too much." And then she gave Hikari a very confused look. "Why devote a whole room to it, if it doesn't need a whole room?"

Crystal's answer was very blunt. "...Privacy?"

"We have different rooms if we need to be alone. I don't see what the big deal is. I just wanted to invite you to a party at the manor this weekend, that's all."

"I'm pretty sure I can be there," Hikari said. "I don't have any plans this weekend."

"Great. Can we just… go to Garden now?" Canti asked, crossing her arms. Sometimes these two just talked too much, and she was at that point where it was annoying. A simple invite to a party came to a discussion about their house? Why?

…

Cid picked himself out of bed very slowly. He barely acknowledged when Canti left for school, and now he seemed both sleepy and restless. He got himself a shower and pulled on his civilian clothes before keying in a few things on the Sphere's input system. The screen went fuzzy for a bit before an image of his older brother came into focus.

"I told you to take a break," Richard said sternly. "I've all ready filed all of the paperwork through to the ship-yards and Setzer is fully aware that you are in need of time to rest after your last mission."

"I'm not calling you for a report," Cid said just as sternly. He gave a glare straight into the camera. "I'm calling you to tell you that Cantirena has been given the call to action."

"...the moogle?" Richard was only a little startled upon hearing this.

"That's what she described to me."

"Isn't it too early?"

"I can't shake the feeling that the Schizo we brought into the monster farm is linked to this, as well as the nightmares she's had in the last week," Cid said, his sincerity not once fading from his tone. "How do things look outside the barrier? Have you seen if the enemy approaches or not?"

Richard glared at his brother. "I told you to focus on what is important."

"I AM!" Cid yelled into the camera. "It's clear as day that my daughter is involved!"

"I'll have no choice but to report you to those higher up if you don't stop looking for answers involving the outside, Cid. You don't want me to do that. You know what they'll do."

"Same thing they've had me do to Canti, I reckon," Cid said. "Extract the memories."

"Cid…"

Cid flicked the switch to kill the call, and turned away from it. How was he supposed to ignore all the signs? If a moogle came looking for Canti, to offer her a chance at obtaining her own weapon, didn't that mean that she was going to be asked to fight against the evil approaching? He looked up at the Venus Gospel that hung on the wall overhead and remembered everything about how he obtained it. He closed his eyes, and the memory came to him as if it just happened.

 _I took up the spear, just like my father, and his father before him. As did my older brother. We were rivals in everything. Our grades, our battle styles. But at one point, we were friends. And one morning, on our way to breakfast, we came across one of the moogles. It sat upon a table that glowed in a brilliant rainbow, and offered us a chance to obtain something that was meant only for us. A unique weapon that could bond with our very being and unleash abilities that no mere training could create, that would bring out our utmost potential, in exchange for shards of mythril. We had no idea what mythril even was, and when we asked our parents, they said nothing. It wasn't long after that… monsters became more frequent, and each one bigger and more powerful than the last. Everyone from the first year student at Garden up to the Grand Dragoon himself at the time had to fight to protect those who could not protect themselves. It was because of this incident that the monster farm was even built at all. I spared the life of a behemoth to send to captivity, and it gave me a glimmering shard of a dull, dark blue metal… I fought a Malboro to protect my brother, who had become unable to fight after being hit with the Bad Breath blue magic spell and obtained another… eventually, I had five shards, and when I found the moogle again, the table gave me my spear, that glowed the same way the table did…_

He sighed. Something was going on, but he didn't know what. He didn't know what all to do, either. Should he have told her what it was? Cid didn't want to report anything else to Leviathan. Last time he did that, he was just consumed with guilt. He picked up his wallet and headed out of the house, determined to learn something, _anything_ about outside the barrier.

…

The whole group got together before parting ways to head to their classes.

"What?!" Tidus said loudly. "There's gonna be a party tomorrow?!" He jumped all over the place, immediately making Canti regret telling him. "Can we play Blitzball?!"

"It's not that kind of party," Hikari said. "It's a fancy thing since it's up at Highwind Manor."

"Well then we make it that kind of party! Parties are meant to be fun!"

"And get you all kicked out of there because you broke something because you weren't paying attention with your ball…" Kain grunted at Tidus. He seemed just as annoyed as Canti over his reaction.

"Isn't it a celebration, though? Shouldn't celebrations be fun?" Vivi asked. "I'm not good at playing sports, but why keep others from playing?"

Kain shrugged. "I'm not sure if it's a celebration or not," he said. "It's more of a gathering of the family in appreciation for upholding our oldest tradition."

Canti crossed her arms. "Then why invite friends? Did you invite friends?"

"Of course he did," Minwu said. "He invited me last year."

"Will you come to mine, too?" Canti asked.

"I'd be honored," he answered. "I have a feeling you'll need my help dealing with your anxiety for the event."

Kain turned to both Minwu and Canti. "Minwu will always be there for you," he said with a smile. "I won't let him leave you."

"What?" she asked in confusion. "What does that even mean?"

Kain blushed for a moment. "Oh, n-nothing."

Crystal and Hikari both took Minwu's attention for a moment, asking all sorts of questions about what kind of party it was, and if gifts were expected. They had no idea what was going on or what they were supposed to do. Since he was the only one who had been to one of these things, they decided to pick his brain for information so they wouldn't embarrass Canti on her special day. Minwu told them that he'd help them get ready for it after school and sent them off to their classes to begin their day.


	27. Chapter 26: Rechosen

The Rebirth of a Dragoon

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to Tibby-san and MajoHikari for continued support of this little story.

Notes: You don't like this, don't read it. I'm not writing it for you. Also, name change!

Warnings: Eventually all this stuff on this list: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Twenty-Six_

School on Friday was a blur, and the next time Cantirena Highwind took a moment to gather her composure, it was all ready Saturday morning. She laid upon her bed, staring straight up at the ceiling, in the complete dark. She blinked a few times, not remembering literally anything that happened the entire day before. It was the day of the party, and the only thing she could think at that particular moment was how badly she didn't want it. It was Highwind tradition, and by having it, it meant she was accepted into the family for real. So, that on its own was a great thing, but at the same time, did they have to make such a big deal about it? Canti rolled over onto her side, staring at the _My Little Chocobo_ poster taped up to the wall. Then she rolled over onto her other side, still uncomfortable. The window outside revealed the twinkling of a few stars in the distance, soon to fade out with the coming light of the sun. She didn't know how early it was. She didn't want to know.

Since there was no hope of being able to fall back to sleep, Canti climbed out of bed and changed from her pajamas into civilian clothes. She figured her Papa would help her change into something more appropriate before the party, so it's not like what she wore now mattered. As she walked out of her room, she heard Cid's snoring from his room. She smiled. That wasn't going away any time soon, now was it?

In the family room, she stopped to stare up at the shimmering weapon that belonged to her father, and she couldn't forget when she and Kain had come across the moogle at random that one morning. She stopped by the fridge, pulled out a bowl of leftover whatever-last-night's-supper-was, ate it quickly, and pulled her spear off the wall. If today was the day she'd be accepted as a dragoon in training… it was a perfect time to start some real training. Grabbing her purse and slipping on her shoes, she walked out of the house as quickly as she could, locking the front door with a quiet _click_.

She headed out to the nearby field, her spear held in her left hand. Canti had seen her father doing this several times back when he was training to enter the Warriors of the Water. She couldn't help but think that this would become a daily part of her routine, too. The morning air was crisp. It nipped at her skin as the wind brushed her curly blue hair around.

Canti looked up at the sky above her. A few clouds here and there. After a deep breath, she put her purse down on the ground, took a few steps away from it, and begun to practice the reps she had been doing in her Combat Basics class. She remembered when doing each motion over and over had worn her out, but she was able to make the moves quite a few times before she felt the burn in her muscles.

After a good hour or so, she stopped to take a break. Her body was sweaty, but she wasn't entirely tired. She thought about the moves she'd watched Cid do over and over years ago. He didn't just practice attacking with his spear, no, he made jumps. Canti hadn't been taught how to jump yet, as at Garden she hadn't been placed into programs to train Dragoons. From what she remembered, that didn't start at Garden until year 3, so not even Kain had gotten that far. But Kain was able to carry her mid jump the other day, as he'd been training to take his father's place as Grand Dragoon. Canti grunted at that. Oh, how he went on and on about that, that dutiful cousin of hers. Perfect prodigy, he was. So perfect in the eyes of the family with all his potential. She loved him, no question, but when he brought that kind of thing up, it was nothing short of annoying.

Canti once again held her spear between her two hands, placing her right hand below the head, and her left around the middle to control it better. She pointed it down, and tried to feel a sensation of a jump below her feet. She stood on her tip-toes, and nothing came of it. Where was the jump? She put the spear down, trying to lift her body up. Then she tried to jump. But all she managed to do was plant her face in the grass.

How'd he do it? How did he manage to pick his body off of the ground like that, while carrying her at the same time? That was the Dragoon's special technique. One could not call themselves a Dragoon without being able to Jump! She'd be a disgrace before the whole Highwind family if she couldn't bring herself to jump! Never mind not wanting the party, now there was no way she could be tragged to attend it! Not to fact that kind of humiliation!

 _Why is my body not going up!?_ Canti screamed at herself. _Why am I not going up any higher?_ She kept jumping and bouncing but nothing coming out of it but frustration. _Get higher! Gotta get higher!_

"Are you all right, baby girl?"

Suddenly she stopped to turn around and see Cid standing there with his arms crossed. "Papa!" she said, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Well?" Cid asked, cocking his head to the side. "You don't seem like yourself at all."

"At first I couldn't sleep," she said. "Nervous about Uncle Richard's party."

"It's not Richard's, it's yours."

"Well, I don't want to go!" Canti said loudly. "I fail at being a dragoon AND being a Highwind! I don't want to be humiliated in front of the whole family!" She breathed heavily. "I'm just some adopted nobody-"

"Explain."

She looked around nervously, shaking where she stood. "I… I've been trying, but I… I can't do the Jump technique! That's the dragoon's signature move! That's what we dragoons DO."

Cid nodded. "Not everyone can do the jump. Hell, without the family secret, no one's able to lift their body the way we do. It doesn't matter if you're adopted or you aren't. None of that matters." He smiled as he walked to her, wrapping his arms around her. "The whole point of the party, the get-together to announce a new dragoon in training for the family, is to teach them the secrets. You don't have to worry about not being able to make a jump."

" _Really_? Is that why Kain was able to carry me from rooftop to rooftop the other morning?" Canti asked curiously.

"He did what now?!"

"Kain carried me, easily. Even though we're about the same size."

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. Once you learn how to do it, it's pretty easy, and even kids yer sizes can easily jump small buildings with practice," Cid said. "Still. You have nothing to worry about. You're a Highwind, and that's all that matters. And if they want to disown you, well, then, they're gonna disown me, too. I don't need them if I don't have you."

She grasped around him tighter, and he returned the favor. "Do you know who all will be teaching me at the party?"

"All of us will give you something. My brother's head of the family at the moment, so I figure he'll be the one to give you the most important thing… the rest of it will all fall into place as things go along. You aren't intimidated by yer Uncle Richard, now are ya?"

"No, Papa, of course not."

"Nothing to be scared of, far as I'm concerned," Cid said, laughing. "So, let's getcha all cleaned up and get ya over to the Highwind Manor. Things start at lunchtime."

"...okay…"

…

Canti's friends were all dressed up in the nicest clothes they owned, with Minwu leading the way. He'd been to Highwind Manor before, but the others hadn't. They were walking through the richest area of the entire city. Chocobo-drawn carts were at every single house, which all seemed like they were the size of castles. There were no pedestrians out here, which seemed very strange to all of them. Transportation didn't really exist on the other side of the city. Could Canti and Cid really have come from this kind of money? Vivi, in particular, had a look of disdain in regards to this area of the city in his bright yellow eyes hidden by his hood-like over-sized hat.

"Hey, you okay, Vivi?" Tidus couldn't help but ask, as the young black mage usually seemed so peaceful. He wore a very nice blitzball uniform that he'd had set aside by Sir Jecht for his son being accepted onto his favorite local team. It was an inevitability, way Sir Jecht saw it, so Tidus just took advantage of the situation.

"I don't like this place," he said. "The Qu Clan have an estate out here. They're… overboard. Like. They buy the most lavish food in the whole world and… it's _disgusting_. They believe that's the way to finding the answer."

"The answer?" Crystal asked. She was wearing a dress, though her grandpa Tobul had to stitch a seam together this morning, and she felt incredibly under dressed at that very moment. It was about the same quality as her school uniform.

"The answer. You know, to everything. Why we even exist in the first place," Vivi answered. "They go out of the way to buy food they don't even need from people that could very well be starving."

"...you seem like you dislike them on a personal level," Hikari said, shaking her head. She was wearing a mage robe that had been altered to suit a red mage's sword practices from an Alexandrian Shoppe in the Center Square that her father, Auron, had bought for her last minute when she told him about being invited to this fancy thing. He'd always been able to pull strings due to his rank of guardian of a senator.

"My grandpa is from the Qu clan. A deserter, I guess. Trying to find the answer without indulging himself so much," Vivi explained. "Needless to say, I understand exactly where Canti comes from. I'm adopted, too."

"Yeah, me, too," Hikari nodded.

"Adoptions aren't a bad thing," Minwu said calmly. "It means that someone had a big enough heart to take care of you, when no one else wanted you."

"I just wonder about who it was that didn't want me," Hikari confessed quietly.

"Maybe they did. But they didn't have the chance to keep you," Minwu said distantly, trying just to concentrate on leading them where they were supposed to go. The less he thought about it, the easier all of this would be. "You could have been separated because of circumstances. No way of knowing."

"...Minwu?" Crystal asked, turning to look at him.

"I'm just trying to comfort Hikari. There's no reason to sit and think on who your original family was, because there's no way of knowing about it. Those kinds of records are taken care of by the government. Where we all come from," Minwu explained. "Concentrate on what's important. The now. That's what matters." He sighed.

Minwu stopped in front of a large metal gate with the Highwind family emblem emblazoned on it and pressed a button. It buzzed, but didn't open. Instead, the group saw Kain coming out of the front door wearing a very formal set of armor with a dragon motif from the helmet down to his boots.

"You took long enough," he said, opening the gate long enough for everyone to come inside. "Minwu, why didn't you wear that outfit you wore last year?"

"I told you last night that I'm not wearing that again."

"But Canti would _love_ it! You looked like a movie star in that outfit."

"...you're being ridiculous. You can't keep doing this… this nonsense. Especially when the person you're doing it do would rather not participate."

Everyone else was just confused by their exchange and waited for Kain to lead them into the manor. The front yard was extravagant, with shrubberies pruned into the shape of dragons along the fence. The family emblem was engraved into the very sidewalk they stood on, which caught Crystal's attention once she got a really good look on it.

"Canti has to like you, Minwu!"

"No, she doesn't!"

Crystal knelt down to get a closer look at the Highwind emblem. It was a circle with the letters H and W on either side of a red slash between them. "Hey Kain," she said, causing the two best friends to stop their bickering.

"What?"

"What's up with your family crest?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"It looks like a 'no' sign. A circle with a line straight through it, diagonal like that?" Crystal asked again.

"Oh. I don't know why it is the way it is. It's just like that. Not important." Kain said dismissively. "Come on. Canti's ceremony starts in a bit and since she invited all of you, you're going to be present. I promised to make sure you'd be here to support her. Last thing I want is her upset that she's not feeling supported by the people she chose to support her."

"What if we didn't wanna come out here to your fancy-shmancy estate to support your stuffy family traditions?" Tidus asked.

"Canti chose you to be here. I'd make sure you were."

"You'd force it?"

Kain gave Tidus a very hard glare, as if to put him in his place for daring to question him, especially in his own house. His authority here was at its peak and his tone of voice commanded respect. "You'd be here." That was the voice of the eventual replacement of the Grand Dragoon coming through him.

"All right, that's enough," Minwu said, pulling Kain and putting him in the direction of the front door of the manor.

"You can eat. There's a table full of food in the foyer. Though because I know where it came from, I'm not gonna bother with any no matter how good it is! We'll let everyone know when it's time to start. As you're Canti's guests, you have special seating," Kain explained, leading them inside. "Do your best to not embarrass her."

"...Kain, seriously, stop being such an ass," Minwu said, rolling his eyes. "There's no reason to be so uptight-"

"I'll have the maids put you in something more flattering than the Mysidian formal outfit you wore last year," Kain snapped at him. "Don't tempt me."

"Don't threaten me with utterly pointless things," Minwu grunted at him.

"If you keep being defiant, it isn't a threat. It's a promise."

"If it weren't for the fact that Canti invited me, I would leave right this instant. I've no need for your family legacy, Kain."

"But you know that she needs you."

"Not like that."

"Oh shut up!" Hikari and Crystal said to them both at the same time. "Both of you!"

"You bicker like an old married couple!" Crystal said, crossing her arms. That only made Kain blush and Minwu look away.

"Doesn't Canti get a say in her own affairs? Don't make decisions for her. Geez. Last thing I want to see are the two of you arranging a marriage before she makes the promotion to Dragoon." Hikari sighed.

Kain instantly felt as if he had to defend himself. What an accusation! He didn't deserve such slander! "I would never stoop to-"

"Just shut up and lead us to where we have to go."

"Come on, then."


	28. Chapter 27: Restoke

The Rebirth of a Dragoon

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to Tibby-san and MajoHikari for continued support of this little story.

Notes: You don't like this, don't read it. I'm not writing it for you. Also, name change!

Warnings: Eventually all this stuff on this list: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Twenty-Seven_

Crystal had never been in a house this big. It seemed too big for people to live in. Would have been more appropriate to house monsters or airships. As she stood on the floor, she looked straight up to see a grand glass chandelier that might have been as big as her closet, maybe bigger than her Grandpa's workshop. She wondered how much that cost, and instantly decided that she didn't want to know how much money was wasted on that. She noticed there was a lot of dragon decor around the place, too, and figured that was because the Highwinds were prolific in their passion for dragons. They were painted on the walls, on the floors. Statues of dragons were almost everywhere she cared to look. And not just normal statues, no, these were of a higher quality of stone than most statues. Not even the Cosmos Statue out in front of the Garden Gate was made of that quality of material.

"I wonder if I'll be able to make something that good, being a blacksmith in training and all," she thought aloud.

"Those weren't made by a man with a chisel, as most of those types of art tend to be made," Kain answered her. "Those were made with magic. Human tools couldn't make a dent in adamantine, let alone form it into a sculpture."

"What kind of stores do you buy those kinds of pieces of art from? Do you have monsters working under your castle to make that kind of thing for you?" Hikari asked.

"No. These are relics of a bygone age. No one makes those anymore. No one can," Kain continued as he led them to an even taller room filled with gigantic tables filled with extravagant food. "So. Eat as much as you like. If you ask my mother, she'll even let you take some with you after it's all over. She's giving like that."

"Which one is your mom?"

"Oh, y'know. She's the soft spoken lady with her hair in a braid standing next to my father, the Grand Dragoon. Be polite. I've got work to do, so enjoy the party," Kain said before jumping up and right out of sight.

"What a showoff," Minwu grunted. "He's always been haughty, but here in the manor, he's insufferable."

The event was nothing short of fancy. Elegant. It was such a high society event that Hikari recognized a few senators that she'd seen with the senator her father was a guardian for. Crystal felt extremely out of place. She was hungry, as she was told there would be food, but the place was so formal that she was afraid to reach out and take the food right in front of her. Minwu rolled his eyes as he took a plate and put some goodies on it, making his way to the same place he was told to sit last year. Tidus and Vivi ultimately decided it would have been rude to refuse the food and they followed Minwu to the guest seating, which left the two girls alone to stand there nervously.

"I don't know what to do," Crystal whispered to Hikari. "This whole thing feels… weird."

"Yeah. I would take from the food, but…"

"...I don't wanna be stared at by all these uppity types."

"Me, either."

"I can see why Cid wanted out."

"Totally."

"...are you gals having a good time?" Speak of the devil, it was Canti's father Cid who called out to them. "I don't know why you're just standing there, but you shouldn't feel on ceremony. You aren't being stared at."

"You heard us?"

"Mhm. Don't underestimate my hearing. I'm a mechanic. I listen for tiny noises that could signal malfunction at any time," Cid said, clearly doing all he could to speak formally, though both girls could tell he was forcing it. "Well, take as much food as you like and you have some reserved seats in the front. You don't have to worry. Guests are only here as a courtesy to the one being honored, just to make them feel supported. It's easy to feel alienated in this kind of ceremony."

"So… where is Canti, anyway?" Hikari asked.

"You wouldn't recognize her in what she's wearing now. They have her all prettied u- I mean, they dressed her elegantly for today's grand occasion…"

…

People had her pretty pegged when they called her a Princess of Anxiety, but never had she really agreed with the title until her Aunt started to dress her for the ceremony. She had no idea how long she'd be sitting there, having her hair and clothes be fussed over, but Canti knew that just the few moments she'd been there had been more than enough. Only her Papa understood how she liked her hair to be brushed, and how she liked to part it on the left, and how tangled her curls tended to get, so the brush had to be pulled along gently through her hair. She didn't like it parted in the middle, she didn't like how hair the brush was pulled through her hair, and she certainly didn't want her weird smelling Aunt Erina this close to her. She was family, sure, but Erina felt like a stranger to her. It sent off weird signals in her head to be this close to someone she barely knew. And it was clear how little Erina really knew about her when she was sitting there and doing everything that was only making matters that much worse!

But, even though she wanted to tremble, she held as still as possible, and even though she wanted to scream her complaints so loud that even the Goddess Cosmos could hear her loud and clear, Canti didn't say anything. She kept her eyes closed and tried to focus on something else. It wasn't easy. Of course it wasn't going to be. Canti refused to disappoint anyone for on today, because this day, more than any other day she'd been a part of this family, she had eyes on her. The whole family was going to be here, and it wasn't going to be her fault that this one thing that would finally make her be a part of this family even though she wasn't born into it just happened to fall apart. She wasn't going to let that happen. All she'd wanted was to be accepted, to be a part of the family, and all she'd felt since she was adopted was out of place. And with this, as painful as it was, promised her that she had a place of her own, to be a part of.

"I know you're nervous, but you are handling yourself extremely well," Erina said. She stopped running that scratchy brush through Canti's hair. "I for sure thought you were going to fight me the way you did the other morning… but you seemed to have matured a little. That's a good thing. Richard likes it when people are mature enough to take on their duty without complaint." Even though she didn't say it, Canti knew Erina was alluding to Papa Cid, and she hated the fact that even when no one was around to acknowledge her for being a dutiful wife to her husband and supporting his every belief, Erina just went along and did it anyway.

"...don't worry about me," Canti said. "I'm tough."

"You have to be, to uphold this family's legacy. You might not be of our blood, but you carry our name. The family's destiny is your destiny now whether you like it or not. You can follow through and inherit greatness, or fall far from grace."

"What does it mean to fall from grace?"

Erina sighed. "Canti, I can't tell you that. It's not my place."

"...I figure you know more about what I'm going through than anyone, Aunt Erina, because you're like me. You weren't born a Highwind."

"You're right. I wasn't born a Highwind. I married one, and I took up the name and the family's legacy."

"...are you happy, Aunt Erina?"

"Happy? Why would I not be happy? I was blessed to be chosen to wed the Grand Dragoon and the head of the Highwind family." Erina had this look on her face as if she was appalled that a child would dare to ask her that. Canti could have no idea of the pressure she'd endured since she fell in love with Richard in their days attending Garden. "I love Richard and he treats me well."

"I guess there's no reason to be unhappy when you live with a man with so much authority that you're practically treated like a queen," Canti said, taking a moment to straighten out her skirt.

Suddenly Erina stood up and threw the brush she'd been using across the room, storming out the door and slamming it behind her, leaving Canti alone there, sitting on the stool, wondering exactly what she'd done to piss her aunt off so badly. She got up off the stool and walked over to the mirror against the wall.

Canti wore a lovely gown and her hair had been styled a certain way so she could wear a tiara-ish headdress. If she was going to become a dragoon, she didn't understand the need for that. Every fully armored dragoon she'd ever seen wore draconic armor and helmets, covered from head to toe. She didn't look like she was becoming the newest member of a family of elite dragon warriors. She looked like a dainty girl in a gown wearing a tiara to be paraded around for some fancy nobility, and upon seeing her reflection here, that's all she felt like.

Soon she heard weird sounds from the wall. Canti turned to look over and see what it was. There were little _tink-tink-tinks_ coming from near the window. No matter where she looked, she didn't see what it was. Could it have been a bird poking at the window? How odd.

But that's when the window came crashing in, glass flying everywhere. Canti put up her arms and bring up that barrier she'd managed to manifest on her first day of school.

"...oh, I've found a lovely little lady, have I?"

Canti let the power fade from her hands only to find the familiar face of Ffamran Bunansa standing there. She didn't know anyone else with hazel eyes. "…Ffamran?!" she whispered. "…why did you break in my uncle's window?!"

"I certainly didn't expect anyone to be here. According to the spies, no one uses this room," he said smoothly.

"...spies?!" Canti couldn't be more confused.

"I knew there would be one of the Highwind ceremonies today, but I didn't believe they were going to finally induct you into the cult… I thought that was why your father distanced himself from the Highwinds," he continued.

"H-how dare you!" Canti said. "You break into my uncle's house and call my family a cult?!" She felt her blood boil. "Maybe Kain was right about you!"

"I apologize, my dear. I'd love to stay and chat with you, princess, but I've a treasure to steal," Ffamran said, bowing before he turned to walk right out the door.

"Steal…" she repeated, reaching for the back of his collar. "…you think I'm going to let you steal something from the family that I've wanted so badly?" She gripped onto it tightly as he struggled to get free. "I thought you were my friend, and I wanted to repair the relationship between our families, Ffamran. Oh, wait. Your preferred name is _Balthier_ , right?"

"I have no respect at all for the Highwinds when they steal the technology we Bunansas have developed… all to further their power with their Warriors of the Water nonsense!" Ffamran grunted at her. "And once you take up the name, you have to obey the lead of the family. If you don't, you end up pushed out, like your beloved Papa Cid. That's why he left! And now Richard finds out that you've decided to take up the spear, and you hold some sort of magical potential unlike any this family has ever had, so of course he wants to take advantage…"

"You _lie_! You would have me turn against my own!"

"Take a hint, princess!"

Canti pushed him up against the door, the skin of his face being scratched up by the door under all her physical pressure. "Kain always told me the Bunansa family had something against us, and here I was wanting to give you the benefit of the doubt. But no! You've hated me since day one!"

"I… I've never hated you! Not you! No. I can't hate you, princess."

"For the love of Cosmos, stop calling me that! I'm… a _dragoon_! I'm not a princess!"

Ffamran coughed loudly. "A-all… all right, Canti! I get it. I-I'm sorry."

"What were you going to steal?" Canti asked angrily.

"...the Wyvern Lance."

"Uncle Richard's spear?"

"The very same one."

"You liar! You were just talking about power stolen from your family! You want something else…" She tightened the pressure she put on him against the door, almost squeezing the air out of his body.

"The Wind Crystal, Canti. I want to steal the Wind Crystal. My family discovered it, gave it to Leviathan, who then gave it to the Highwinds for the dragoons… gave them the power of the wind itself… That's why there's a rivalry between the Bunansas and the Highwinds and there has been for centuries! We're you're timid little bitches and you walk all over us!" Ffamran pressed back against her, causing her to loose her grip. "That power should belong to us!"

Canti didn't understand what he was talking about. "I don't understand, Ffamran. I've never heard of the Wind Crystal. I don't know what that is."

"If today's your ceremony, then you will…" he straightened out his clothes and shook his head. "…so if you don't want to be in that dress anymore, then let me take it, and your ceremony will be canceled."

"You aren't taking this away from me!" she shouted.

The door opened up and there stood Kain, ready to take her out to the rest of the party. He only could watch as Canti pulled back her left hand and gave Ffamran the hardest punch she could manage, knocking him back.

"Cousin!" Kain shouted, rushing over to her side. "What… what happened?! What is he doing here?!"

"Kain!" she looked at him worriedly. "He… he wants to steal something from Uncle Richard. He broke in the window, an- and…"

"Not to worry. I'll take care of this," Kain said, reaching to pick Ffamran up by his collar. "Go now to your father, Canti. It's time to begin."

"What are you going to do with Ffamran?" she asked.

"Beat him within an inch of his life and dump him on his father's front porch?"

"I have an idea," she said. "I wish to invite him as a guest. Have him sit with Hikari, Crystal, and the rest of my friends."

"Anyone else I wouldn't question, but he could have hurt you. He wants something that belongs to our family. Why would you keep him here?" Kain asked, shaking his head in confusion.

"He'll see what he wants to steal, and he'll be so close…" she answered, staring down at Ffamran. "…but with all of our family and esteemed guests, there's no way he'll be able to make off with it."

"...as you wish. It is your ceremony." Kain said, nodding his head.


	29. Chapter 28: Recommittal

The Rebirth of a Dragoon

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to Tibby-san and MajoHikari for continued support of this little story.

Notes: You don't like this, don't read it. I'm not writing it for you. Also, name change!

Warnings: Eventually all this stuff on this list: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Twenty-Eight_

Ffamran walked along with Kain, even though he was obviously angry about the whole situation. He wasn't going to let Kain put one hand on him over this, so he decided to simply go along with what Canti had decided. For him to see her ceremony. Maybe he'd get a bit more understanding into the Highwind family's traditions, and he'd learn something that he could use to make them suffer.

"You know, she might believe you more after this," Ffamran muttered at Kain once they'd finally reached the main foyer where all the guests had gathered. "She was telling me how she didn't want to believe you about me, but that I'd proved you right. She was on the verge of tears. Poor thing."

"I don't care about that," Kain replied soundly.

"Yes, you do. You were jealous of me in that cafe. I saw it on your face. She cried on me, not you, and you hated me for it," Ffamran was almost laughing.

"The only reason I'm putting up with you at all is because I will not be responsible for ruining Canti's ceremony, don't get the wrong idea," Kain's tone was still quiet, as the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to the fact that he was leading a Bunansa to the guest seats. Once he'd reached where Minwu, Vivi, Tidus, Hikari, and Crystal were seated, Kain pushed Ffamran into a seat. "Please, do me a favor, and stay here. If I see you get one strand of hair out of the guest seating area, I will skewer you and deliver to your father a corpse."

"I imagine he'd like that," Ffamran quipped. "The old man and I have never agreed on anything. Hell, after sitting through this, I'll be amazed if he lets me in his house as long as I live."

Kain grunted in disgust before using a Jump and disappearing from sight.

"...do I even want to know why you're here?" Minwu asked, taking a few bites of a piece of cake that had come from a thirty-tier tripple ripple fudge mountain only a few steps away from where they were seated.

"You'd probably be disgusted with me for it, same as everyone else…" he whispered.

"I'll bet you all the gil in my wallet that I'm more disgusted with Kain than anything you'd be up to," Minwu said. "You want some cake? Kain said you can't get it, but that doesn't mean I won't get it for you."

"Ha. And here I thought you two were best friends."

"If you believe the relationship I have with Kain is that of best friends, you don't know us that well."

"You came to his ceremony last year."

"I was the only one he invited. I honestly felt bad for him. Now he's hell-bent on having me join the family, and I don't want this sort of life."

"Highwinds are impossible to befriend. Honestly," Ffamran said with a long sigh.

"No they're not!" Hikari said. "Canti's a great person!"

"...maybe because she's the only one that's not of their blood," Ffamran said, shrugging. "Maybe because she's not been raised from day one with this mentality, that they are the only ones allowed to ride the wind. That's why they have that name! They believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that they should be the only ones to ride the wind! Like they're blessed or something!"

Some had heard these comments and started coming closer to the guest seating area. Voices behind them murmured, carrying an air of superiority. This was the Highwind Manor, the home of the Grand Dragoon and the central location for all of the family's doings, after all. There were some that simply would never be able to tolerate this sort of disrespect. Ffamran knew that feeling. He'd felt it before a few times, especially from Kain.

"I wouldn't say that I'm in total agreement," another voice came from behind him. "But I wouldn't say that I totally disagree with such claims, either."

Hikari recognized that voice. She turned her head, pushing her pink hair from her face. "Mateus?! Did… Did Canti invite you?"

Mateus shook his head. "Actually, no. I would have been more than honored, but…" He pointed his thumb behind him, leading the group to peer back there to see Senator Palamecia was making small talk with many of the people in the Highwind family with political power. "I detest these high society events, but there was one little rose I wished to see…"

"Kain will toss you out the moment he notices you're here," Crystal said bluntly. "You might want to go hide in the cake or something."

"And be a bachelor surprise? Come now. Even you can see that would be a massive mistake at an event like this," Mateus said, making a motion to the wall that all of the seats were facing. "Over there. That's where they keep the family treasure for the ceremony."

"What happens at the ceremony, anyway?" Tidus asked.

"The newest dragoon in training will approach the treasure and be given a little bit of its power," Minwu said. "This will gift them with the ability to ride the wind."

"Not that the little rose needs more power," Mateus said, smiling. "Such a lovely addition to an all ready _enchanting_ little girl."

Hikari looked back at him again. The way he said that sounded both like he admired it and that he was thinking malicious thoughts at the same time, which made her feel weird. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but it filled her with a sense of dread.

It didn't take long after that for Cid to appear, clapping his hands to catch the attention as everyone in the room. "If all our guests would please be seated and all the Highwinds please gather here, the ceremony will begin," he said. People began to move and shuffle around. Since Mateus was all ready sitting there, his father came to accompany him. It was better seats than what the Senator was expecting, being right behind the personal guests of the newest dragoons. Once everyone was seated, all of the lights were put out. A pale green light shined in the direction that Mateus had pointed at before. When Tidus wanted to say something, Minwu looked back at everyone and motioned for them all to be silent, as this was not the time to make any sort of commentary.

"Hear us, Cosmos, Goddess of Harmony."

It wasn't one voice. It was many.

"Bless our family once again through the instrument of your power, the Wind Crystal."

It didn't take a lot of guesswork to figure out that it was all of the Highwind family members saying this at the same time, almost like a chorus. Soon more pale green lights appeared around the one in the center. One for each member of the family. The lights grew larger, but only enough to show each person with the power staring straight up at the crystal. They all lifted their lances, all of them shimmering with the light of a weapon meant only for the one that held it, chanting something in a language that none of the guests could identify.

"We offer up our newest dragoon!"

The center light descended to reveal Canti, facing the crowd, standing in the center of the semi-circle of family members. The light came down far enough for her to reach for the light, and when she took it into her hands, it burst out in a bright flash.

"Bless our child with the power of wind!"

All of the lights from each of the family members flowed around her, lifting her off the ground. She was lifted high above everyone else, showing all who had come to see the ceremony exactly who it was that had been accepted for once and for all into the Highwind family.

"I'm sorry for you, princess," Balthier whispered. "Now you don't get to live freely. You belong to the name now…"

When Canti was placed once again onto the floor, the lights turned back on and the whole family of Highwinds applauded. All of the applause ended when she turned around and began to speak. "I feel it," she said proudly. "I'm a dragoon! The power of the wind flows within me! Thank you, Highwind family… thank you to my friends for being here. Thank you, everyone!"

The applause began again, and Canti drew her spear into her left hand to stand in a commanding pose before the whole world. Now she knew she finally had a place to belong, and everything else that had come before didn't matter. The worries about her past and where she had come from faded away. But the moment she started to move away from where she was standing, so she could go see everyone, she fell over onto the floor. It seemed so uncharacteristic for someone blessed with the power of the wind to be such a klutz, but Canti was prone to tripping.

"Cousin, you're the clumsiest dragoon that's ever been," Kain said, shaking his head. But he was just as proud of it as anyone else. He loved seeing that smile on her face. He loved knowing that she finally belonged somewhere, because that was something that had always bothered her in every day life.

But Canti didn't get back up.

"Cantirena?!" Cid came rushing out of the ranks of his family to bend down to check on her. "What happened?!" Her eyes were open, but he didn't see her actual eyes. They were all filled with the magic from the wind crystal. He shook her lightly to see if he could get her to stir, but she didn't. " _R-Richard_!"

The Grand Dragoon himself came out of the family ranks and bent down to look at her. He whispered into his brother's ear, "the crystal hasn't let her go for some reason."

"That doesn't make any sense. It always has before," Cid whispered. "How do we wake her? We always have the party after this… This is… sacred tradition!"

"...she also isn't of our blood," Richard whispered back. "Perhaps the pact we took with the crystal will not recognize one adopted."

"That's ridiculous…" Cid said. "…she is a Highwind, the same as the rest of us! I believe that! If the crystal doesn't accept her, then we'll both leave the family. I won't be without my daughter."

"...Cid… I accept her…" He put his hand on Canti's forehead and murmured a few lines. "…we all accept her… I only pray that the crystal will accept her."

Mateus nodded to himself as he watched all of this go down. So many others were confused by what was going on, but he wasn't. He only smiled more at this. "Father," he said, leaning over to Senator Palamecia. "Would you be averse to me marrying into this family?"

"You have always possessed a taste for power, my son," the Senator said, not taking his eyes off of the situation in front of them. "You know what just happened, do you not?"

"Of course I do," he said smugly. "She wasn't just gifted the ability to ride the wind… her mind is on magic overload. I've seen her power at the Garden's Initiation, and I must admit… I quite enjoy the idea of being married to someone of such ability."

"Her father would never approve. I spoke with him only today about your interest in her, and he has made it clear that I must forbid you from speaking to her."

"But if I were to make her fall for me, she could run with me to you, should you approve," Mateus said, having all ready thought of that.

"Oh, but of course I approve… I'd hate to be the one to cause two who had just found love to be split apart because of some baseless belief that we're hungry for power," the Senator said. "I just love making young lovers happy."

"...then I plan to do all in my power to make it happen, Father. I will make her love me."

"That sounds absolutely splendid. You have my blessing."

It seemed that Canti had come out of whatever it was that had her by then, and the party went on as usual. Kain had told both his uncle and his father that he would make it his personal duty to look after her for the rest of the day, and considering just how honorable he'd always been known to be, they approved of the idea. He led her over to where her friends were sitting so they could all congratulate her on… whatever that was.

"How are you feeling?" was Minwu's first question. It was his trained duty, as he was a white mage in training, after all. "Are you in any pain at all?"

"No," she said. "I felt weird, but it wasn't painful. It was like when I used that barrier… but much more intense. My mind was totally engulfed by it. I couldn't see or react to anything around me, but I… I was lost in that energy…"

"Congratulations on becoming the newest dragoon, Canti," Mateus said from behind the guest seats. He stood up, reaching out to at least touch her.

"...what? You're here, too?" Canti asked.

"Of course he is," Kain grunted. "Senator Palamecia provided the catering for this event to thank Father and Uncle Cid for helping get the Schizo monster alive out to the monster farm."

Hikari thought, _that totally explains why Kain said he was refusing to eat anything served here…_

"Thank you, Senator," she said politely, doing a little curtsy. "I wanted to invite Mateus, but I thought it would be impossible. But… you got to be here anyway… what a stroke of luck."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Mateus said gently. "Enjoy the spread. I heard that you loved chocolate cake, so I ordered the biggest chocolate cake that's ever been made in the history of Daggureo just for your special day."

Canti giggled. "You did what?!" she asked. "You're crazy!"

"What? You deserve it!" he said, looking into her eyes. "So, please, go eat as much as you like. Have fun with your friends."

She agreed, motioning for her friends to follow her. "Thank you, Mateus. You flatter me," she said, walking over to him to give him a peck on the cheek. Kain pulled her closer to him as he glared at Mateus. He only winked at Kain in return. "All right. I haven't eaten anything but yesterday's leftovers before the sunrise. I'm famished and ready to stuff my face!"

Kain then turned his head to Ffamran and used his free arm to point to the door. "I suppose I should eat something too. If I refuse to eat this, I won't be eating anything for a while. We'll be eating all of this for days. I highly urge all of you to take as much as you can carry home with you."

Ffamran turned to leave, disappointed at the lack of results in his efforts, but at least he had more to report on what the Wind Crystal was being used for. He left without a bite to eat or anything more to say to anyone else.

The group of friends ate and talked about all sorts of things until the night fell. Most everyone left together, as Minwu agreed to lead them back to the neighborhood where all of them lived. Canti and Kain sat together alone. She leaned onto him, feeling safe being that close to him. It only reminded him of his forbidden feelings for her.

"Kain," she whispered.

"Yes?" he whispered in return.

"Balthier, he said things today that made me worry."

"You've no need to worry about him any longer. If he comes near you again, I won't hesitate to-"

"I don't mind him being near me. Heaven forbid we have a class together in the future for some reason," she said, shaking her head. "No. It's just that. He said that the Wind Crystal wasn't always in the possession of the Highwind family. That it originally belonged to the Bunansas, but Leviathan gave it to the Highwinds. That's why there's a bitter relationship between the two families. I don't know if you know anything about it, but…"

"Canti. I don't know anything about the crystal or its history. That is for the Grand Dragoon alone. I won't be able to learn anything about it until I take up that position after my father's death," Kain said quietly. "He wanted to rile you up, saying that kind of thing. Bunansas will do anything to take anything away from us, and now you know that I wasn't lying to you. I have no reason to lie."

"Kain… I… I'm so sorry I didn't listen…"

"Don't worry. Everything will be all right. Tomorrow morning, Uncle Cid and I have all ready agreed that we're going to teach you how to Jump. You're a Highwind now and forever…" Kain said gently. He watched her yawn and lean into him further. "…and I will always watch over you."

"One day you will marry and have your own heirs to fuss over. You won't be able to always watch over me. You'll have more important ones to watch over."

"No… I will be married only to my work. I will always have time for you. However, you will marry."

"I don't think I will, either."

"...there are some who have taken a liking to you…" Kain said, not wanting to admit that he was one of them. But he had seen the way other boys looked at her, and he knew that they were eager to get to her.

"I'm too weird to marry."

"That is so not true, Canti. Men will want to be with you when you grow up! I can promise you this!"

"How?!"

"...because I'm certain that Minwu likes you."

"Minwu? But he and I only study together in our Mysidian Class, and-"

"He likes you a lot. He's told me."

"No… no way. He's too busy working to be a white mage that he couldn't have the time to look at me like that. I mean, he's very nice, and handsome, but…"

"If you like him, you should tell him!"

"Cousin, why are you playing matchmaker? You're always so serious. This sounds like something a gossiping girl would do, not a serious dragoon in training like you."

"Because, Canti, I want you to be happy more than anything else."

She leaned into him more, yawning again, but much more loudly this time. "Kain," she said very quietly, "I'm happy… like this…" Canti had fallen asleep on him, and he just blushed brightly about it.

"I am, too…" he said, nuzzling his cheek into her hair. "…if only you weren't my cousin, I could be honest…"


	30. Chapter 29: Regerminate

The Rebirth of a Dragoon

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to Tibby-san and MajoHikari for continued support of this little story.

Notes: You don't like this, don't read it. I'm not writing it for you. Also, name change!

Warnings: Eventually all this stuff on this list: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Twenty-Nine_

The next time Canti opened her eyes, she was in a very extravagant looking bed. One bigger than most of her bedroom. It sure was comfy, but waking up in a place she was unfamiliar with only made her more anxious than she was normally. She noticed that she wasn't wearing that gown she'd been forced to wear for her ceremony, but some silken pajamas that she'd never seen before. It took her a few minutes to realize that she'd fallen asleep on Kain's shoulder last night, and when it was time to go home, everyone realized it would just be easier for her to sleep over. Sunday mornings her Papa Cid always had off work, so she figured he'd be somewhere around here, too. She looked around to see if she could find the clothes she had when she came to the Highwind Manor yesterday morning, but they weren't there. Canti didn't want to walk out in these pajamas that didn't even belong to her. She didn't even know who they belonged to, anyway. Wait. She didn't have any brothers or sisters, and she only had one cousin her age that she was aware of…

…she slept in Kain's pajamas?!

…

Kain was usually up at sunrise, but he didn't want to be rude to the guests who were staying over. Especially his cousin. His Uncle Cid had told him that weekends were times of rest in their house, and that she would sleep in past what he would be used to. So there he was, clad in his training gear, ready to go teach Canti how to finally use the Jump technique, but he didn't want to leave his room. He thought about her, just lying in one of the guest best, wrapped in the blankets and sheets… he wondered what her breathing sounded like when she was dreaming deeply. And then, he turned to look in the mirror on his wall and looked at his own blushing cheeks. Canti was adopted as his cousin, and as of yesterday, finally made into a part of the Highwind family. Accepted by the magic of the family treasure and everything. And here he was, blushing at the fact that he had the deepest of crushes on her. He couldn't help himself. And there was the fact that he even gave his mother a set of his own pajamas for her to sleep in, since they were about the same size on top of that.

… _I wonder what the law is here in Dagurreo regarding marrying one's cousin?_ He thought, beginning to pace in his room. _I imagine that marrying her would cost me the rank of Grand Dragoon, but she is adopted, and…_

Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. He walked over to open it, and he found his cousin standing there in his own pajamas.

"Good morning, Canti," he said. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I feel okay, I'm just lost! This house is bigger than Garden!" she replied with a frustrated look. "And my clothes from yesterday aren't in my room, so I'm walking around in this. I don't even walk around my own house in my nightgown."

"Oh, right. Mother said she would have them cleaned for you. Besides, you'll have training clothes to change into after breakfast," Kain said, walking out into the hall. "Follow me."

Canti followed Kain down to the dining room where there were piles upon piles of pancakes all over the place with every sort of topping one could want on pancakes right there waiting for them. "…that's, uhh… that's a lot of pancakes!" she blinked at them, wondering who in the world would need that many pancakes.

"Eat as many as you like," Kain said with a great big smile. "Our cooks know that pancakes are my favorite food! And if we run out, they'll just make us more!"

"There's more pancakes in here than there is just normal food in my fridge…" Canti said. "Seems excessive. You don't need more than a few on your plate, do you?"

"How do you like yours? With chocolate chips? Nutella? Peanut butter? Fruit preserves?" Kain asked excitedly. He was ready to put her a plate together on his own.

Canti didn't want to seem rude, but she grunted at him, "…I like them how Papa Cid makes them in the shape of bunnies." She took a plate and a stack of three, sat down, and prepared them quietly.

Kain took the seat next to her, making himself a plate. Clearly she didn't want to talk about pancakes no matter how excited he was over them, so he decided to change the subject. "Are you ready to learn to Jump?" he asked.

"I am," she answered before beginning to cut her pancakes up very neatly. They were very fluffy pancakes. Better than the ones Papa Cid made at home, even if she would have liked them in the shape of little bunnies.

Kain frowned. She simply didn't want to talk while eating. That was fine. He was used to eating in silence, too. But he did want to spend a much time talking with her as possible. He wanted to know everything he could about her. The one thing he learned this morning is that she simply wasn't much of a talker when food was on her plate. "I wonder where Uncle Cid and Father are…"

"Actually, your mother and father, as well as Cid, were summoned," a maid said from the kitchen. "I was told to prepare your favorite breakfast as they would not be dining with us this morning."

Canti cocked her head to the side. "Summoned?" she asked. "Who summoned them?"

"There came a letter before sunrise," the maid continued. "Though I've no idea who sent the letter."

"Any idea as to when they'll be home?" Kain asked.

"Not at all. We've been asked to keep Miss Cantirena here until Cid returns," she said, coming to collect whatever wasn't being used. A few dishes, eating utensils, and other things were taken back into the kitchen. "You two are not to leave the manor."

"So much for the lesson plans," Canti said worriedly. "Who could have called our parents like that?"

"I only know a few people with more power in Dagurreo than my father," Kain said between bites. "Leviathan and a few choice Senators. There's a lot of unrest became of the enemy on the outside of the border, and a lot more inability to decide how we're supposed to go about preparing for it."

"You're talking about the shadows out there," Canti said. She'd managed to clean her plate. "The shadow that devours absolutely everything."

"Minwu told me that you sense them as he does, and that's one reason why you're always so anxious," Kain said. His plate was clean by then, too. He stretched his arms upward. "It doesn't have a name, from what he explained to me. Not even in his mother tongue, that Mysidian you study."

"I still don't understand it," Canti muttered. She started to gather up the dishes that she used, which made Kain just shake his head in confusion. She cleaned up her area and handed her dishes to the maid, offering to wash them if the lady needed any help. Of course the maid wasn't going to allow a guest to wash her own dishes, lest she be fired, so Canti was told just to wait for her father to come and collect her.

"You will. Enough study, and all of us can do amazing things," Kain said, looking up at her with a big, bright warm smile. "I can't wait until you're both fluent and speaking in your own little secret language to keep others from understanding you."

Canti sighed. "I hope Papa's not in trouble."

"No. Our parents don't get in trouble. Warriors of the Water are upstanding men and women who act out of integrity and honor," Kain insisted. "Come on, let's go find your training gear. Just sitting around is going to get boring for the both of us." He motioned for her to follow him once again, and they set off on a trek to find the new set of training gear. Wherever it could have been…

…

Leviathan sat at his desk in his office, going through some paperwork that had been sent to him from higher up the chain of command. He keyed in a few things in his touchscreen as he flipped through the pages, making sure what was on the paper matched what was on the screen. He heard a buzz from one of the mechanisms built into his desk, and he pressed a button.

"Yes?" he asked almost dismissively.

"The ones you called for have arrived," came the voice of good ol' Betsy, who'd been his secretary since the dinosaurs called this plot of land their own. At least, based on the wrinkles in her face, he expected paleotologists to discover that there were T-rexaur's footprints buried in there somewhere.

"Very well," he replied, "Send them in."

The door opened after a few moments. Richard and Cid came in only to sit down in front of the desk, waiting for Leviathan to lead the conversation.

"Ahh, it's my favorite pair of Highwinds," the water spirit said, putting his file down on his desk, "Except for your children, of course."

"Sir?" Richard asked. "What exactly did you call us here for?"

"Yesterday was the day of Cantirena's ceremony," Leviathan said. "I would hear a report of it."

"I've never reported to you about any of the Highwind ceremonies of the past," Richard said, damn near insulted by such a request. "Why exactly do you wish to hear of this one?"

"Leviathan is the one who gave her to me," Cid said. "He's the highest authority when it comes to her well being. You cannot withhold any information from Leviathan about her case. So don't get defensive."

"Exactly," Leviathan agreed with a nod. "Please. Once you are done, it will be my turn to share."

Cid and Richard recounted every detail they knew from the day before, based on what they'd seen. They didn't know everything, but Leviathan was able to fill in details mentally and get a good theory as to what happened. It was a grand occasion that celebrated Canti's acceptance by the Wind Crystal, except for when after accepting the magic it made her pass out for a while. And that was a scary situation, considering it had never happened to anyone else in the family at the time. Once that was done, Cid added a bit based on what Kain had told him - a Bunansa had broken in to make off with the crystal, spewing lies about their family rivalries to Canti so she'd doubt her placement.

"Always something," Leviathan said, "Cantirena can't have anything without something trying to get in the way of it. Poor girl. Well, at least it wasn't the brutal murder of her birth parents…"

"...her birth parents… were murdered?!" Cid asked, horrified.

"...what? Did I say that out loud?" Leviathan asked. "I didn't mean to let that slip, but since you know, yes. Her birth parents were murdered… brutally."

"How?"

"The shadow that engulfs all on the outside," he answered. "You've never seen anyone with naturally blue hair inside our wall, have you? Of course not. Canti is from beyond our walls. Brought here to keep her safe." Leviathan sighed, hating himself for letting that bit of information out. "You must never tell anyone of this, either of you! The dear is unstable as it is, as she can sense the evil's approach. Telling her of this fate will destroy her ability to function."

Cid sank back into his chair. He could only imagine good people who were as strange as she is trying to protect her from the enemy that they'd been training to take on their entire lives. The mother and father were only killed by the attack, and did not take the child as she was hidden away or something of the like. His mind ran through all sorts of incredibly horrifying scenarios of how they could have died at the hands of the shadow that lurks beyond. Of course, she'd be able to sense the approach of the force that took the lives of her parents. That explained the nightmares she'd had, and while she cried for him, she never was able to be rescued by him. He wiped his eyes. "That's… that's terrible," he said.

"Cid, she's your daughter now. This is the only life she knows. I wish for it to remain that way," Leviathan said sternly. "Now… there is something I would like to tell the both of you that doesn't involve Cantirena's true identity which involves both of your children..."

…

Canti and Kain couldn't find that thing anywhere. They both even wondered if it even existed at all. They managed to find Canti's clothes from the day before, so she went into a room alone to change into them while Kain waited for her outside. He listened to the shuffling of her clothing, knowing when she was changing. He heard her breathing and even humming to herself as she changed. And he smiled as he thought about her as she was to grow up.

When she came back out, she found him staring off into space. It wasn't something Kain did very often. "Hey, are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm perfect," Kain said, taking a moment to look directly into her eyes. "You feel better now that you have your clothes?" Cosmos herself couldn't have had nicer eyes, he thought to himself.

"Much better!"

"Great. I have no clue where the training gear is, and we've searched every room in the house… I'm tired of looking for them," Kain said with a shrug. "While we can't leave the manor gates, you can come out with me to the garden, if you'd like."

"You have a garden! I forgot about that! I saw it when Papa Cid brought me here," she said. "But I didn't get a good look at it."

"Well, let me show it to you. We have a lovely fountain in the very center. You'll love it!"

"Sounds fun!"

…

Leviathan crossed his arms. "Because of what I've seen when I've scanned them, I'm highly certain that these two will want more of a relationship than what they have at the moment. There's more data to analyze, and they might grow out of it as they get older… I know for a fact there's other boys who are sweet on Canti. From what I know about her, she can't help it, she's going to draw attention."

"They're cousins. They're family!" Richard said. "What you're suggesting is utterly ridiculous! Especially now when the crystal has accepted her… we cannot have two of the same name together without causing all sorts of risks!"

Cid wasn't sure of what to make of that, but he wasn't as disgusted by the idea as his brother was. It wasn't really incest if they weren't related by blood, was it? He wasn't raised that way, and it sounded weird. But so did the fact that his adopted daughter was saved after her parents were murdered on the other side of the wall. "…way I see it is we encourage Canti to be true to herself, and if as she gets to the age where she wants to share her life with someone else, we simply do not interfere," he said. "You say there's a chance she'll want to be with someone else as much as she'll want to be with Kain. Right now, they're kids. The love they experience isn't the kind of love we'd need to worry about."

"You'd let your own nephew-"

"If she were my daughter, of my flesh and blood, then of course I wouldn't. But if the one she finds solace in just happens to be my nephew, then I'll approve if that's what she needs to be happy," Cid said, looking defiantly at his brother. "And if you were to ostracize me from the family over this, that would make an even better case for them when they're older, don't you think?!"

Leviathan put his hands up to stop them from rambling at each other. "There is nothing set in stone about the lives we lead here within our barrier, cut off from everything else that's out there, including the enemy. Canti may fall in love with Kain, or she may fall in love with any other number of suitors. I was just issuing you a fair warning before they hit that glorious age of puberty and knowing just how close those two are."

"Thank you for the warning," Richard grunted as he stood up to leave. "I've heard quite enough!"

Cid just rolled his eyes. "Knowing our luck, Canti'll fall in love with that Palamecian boy. I'd much rather her be with someone I know wouldn't hurt her."

"Well, since your brother is so intent on leaving, I'll send you on your way," Leviathan said, practically shooing them out of his office so he could get back to running that paperwork he oh-so-wanted to get done. "Goodbye…" he waved his hand to shut the door magically and to keep his last few words out of anyone else's earshot. "…little mortals. Heavenly Mother, what do you do to me?!"

…

Canti and Kain were walking through the pruned bushes of the garden behind Highwind Manor. Everything on this estate was grander than it would have been under any other circumstances. She giggled and talked with him through whatever came up in conversation, and he couldn't help but just be elated the entire time. They didn't get time like this, ever. Most of the time it was at school or something was going on, but here, it was just a nice walk and a nice chat. They enjoyed each other's company.

"Canti," Kain said after they'd been walking a while, "That's our fountain."

It was a large statue of a dragon, posed over the stone pool, with water coming out of it's mouth to land back in the water. This dragon looked familiar, and the more Canti stared at it, the more she wondered where she had seen this dragon before. She walked up close to the pool to get a good look at all the details in the statue.

"I come out here every day and I make a promise to it. That I'll be worthy to succeed my father when the time comes," Kain said very proudly.

"This statue… it looks like the dragon on Papa Cid's uniform."

"That's because it is. This dragon is the patron spirit of the Warriors of the Water," he said. "A water dragon, coiled to protect all it holds dear. It is as strong as it is loyal and honorable, which I fully intend on being when I grow up!"

"Kain…"

"What about you? What are you going to do when you grow up?"

She looked at the statue more before turning to look at Kain. "I want to fly," she declared. "I want to be a pilot, like my Papa was."

"A pilot?"

"Yes! That must be the reason why the tests are having me learn a language from beyond our barrier," Canti said. "I have to go to the land where they speak Mysidian and talk with those people about something very important. I don't know what it is yet. But that has to be the reason why."

"That's a pretty cool dream, all things considered," Kain said. "Do you wanna make the promise with me in front of the dragon statue?"

"Yeah!"

So Kain showed Canti how he did it. Standing straight and tall, with one hand over his heart. "I promise, Great Water Dragon, that I will be worthy of ascending to the position of Grand Dragoon when it falls to me!"

And right beside him, Canti stood in the same position, with one hand over her heart. "I promise, Great Water Dragon, that I will be strong enough to fly through the barrier!"

Soon after that, the maids had come looking for them, as their parents had come home. Canti and Kain walked prouder together than they ever had, having shared in that tiny little tradition no one else knew about.


	31. Chapter 30: Relish

The Rebirth of a Dragoon

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to Tibby-san and MajoHikari for continued support of this little story.

Notes: You don't like this, don't read it. I'm not writing it for you. Also, name change!

Warnings: Eventually all this stuff on this list: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Thirty_

The first thing Cid did the moment he saw his daughter again was give her the tightest hug he'd given her in a very long time. She didn't seem to understand the emotion on his face, but she returned the affection in case there was something she could do to help him feel somewhat better. He held back all the tears, but he wanted to cry for her sake. Cid picked her up into his arms so he could hold her closer to him.

"Papa?" she asked. "I-is something wrong?"

"No, no, pumpkin. Everything's just fine," he said quietly. "So, Kain, are we ready to get to our lesson? We still have a few hours before lunchtime, right?"

"We do," Kain agreed. "I wanted to teach her myself, but I couldn't find her training gear. Where did you put it, Uncle Cid?"

Cid nodded as he put Canti back down on her feet. "I had a feeling you'd want to do that, so I kept it in the carriage, while we were out," he said, shrugging. He handed a bag to her. "Go get changed. If you need help, I'll get Erina for you."

"I can dress myself…" she muttered, heading to a place where she could change alone.

Cid took a moment to signal for Kain to come over to him. "How you doin', kid?" he asked, ruffling his hair.

"Everything's all right, Uncle," Kain reassured him. "I took care of Canti this morning."

"Yeah, I knew you would. You're very protective," Cid said with a nod. "Ever since you met her, you've been like that."

"Is-is something wrong with that?"

There was a long pause and Cid let out a sigh. "No. Not at all. Don't ever think doing what comes natural to you is wrong."

Kain blushed. Did he know?! "B-but, Uncle, I-!" There was no way he could say it out loud, at least for the moment. He tried to hide the fact that he was blushing.

Canti came out of the room in her new training gear. "Okay! I'm ready to learn! Teach me to follow in the steps of the Dragoons!"

"Thank Cosmos," Kain said, shaking off those thoughts easily now that there were things to go and do. Sitting and thinking did nothing but get him lost in thoughts he shouldn't have been thinking in the first place. "You took forever! You say you're not like normal girls, but that was typical of a girl…"

"It was because this material is weird," she retorted. "Papa Cid, what IS this?"

"It's a material that absorbs sweat, made for training your muscles," Cid explained. "When you clean it, all the moisture comes out… I don't really get it. But they'll issue it to you eventually at Garden once you start working on muscle tone instead of just doing reps with your weapons. That's just as important as learning techniques."

"Why don't I ever see you wear this kind of thing?"

"...because I don't care for it. I'd rather train in my normal clothes than that material, and I'll clean it myself," he continued. "All right, you two! Outside! Bring your spears!"

Both cousins gave a nod and shouted, "Yes, sir!"

Outside in the backyard, between the shrubberies and the other bushes, the sun was almost at its peak in the sky. Canti watched both Cid and Kain show how they both held their spears. Her Papa was right-handed, Kain was left-handed. And they both held it very differently. A Jump wouldn't work at all if she couldn't hold the spear properly.

"You're a South-paw," Cid said, pointing at how she was holding her spear. "Try how Kain's doing it."

Kain turned so she could see it. His left hand was actually holding it in the back, and his right hand was up closer to the spear-head. "Now don't hold it super tight," he said. "You need to be able to move fluidly. So have a good grip, but not too tightly."

"Why do you have to move so fluidly?" she asked.

"You're gonna be making an arch with your whole body," Cid answered. "You go straight up, and then you strike with a spear by using all of your weight and focusing it on the tip of the spear when you come down."

"I'll go first!" Kain said. "Watch me closely."

"All right, Kain, you show us how it's done," Cid said with a nod.

Kain took a moment to focus his whole body, and he was up in the air very fast. So fast that it was hard to follow his movement as he was going up. Canti couldn't take her eyes off of him as he started to come back down. He was aiming at a nearby target on a mannequin, and his landing blow was spot on. He let out a long breath as he took out his spear and turned to face her.

"That was great! You have been practicing a lot, haven't you?" Cid laughed.

"I'm going to be the Grand Dragoon," Kain answered. "I have to be worthy."

"Your dad says that all the time. Being worthy about this, that, and everything else," Cid said, sighing. "Kain… you ever thought about what you wanted to do with your life?"

"What I want to do?" Kain asked. "I want to become the Grand Dragoon. What else is there in life?"

"...being happy," Canti said. "Sure, we've all got a destiny, but what use is it if you aren't happy while doing it?"

"We're here to teach Canti how to Jump! Not talk about me!" Kain said forcefully. "Uncle, are you going to show how you do it now, or what?"

Cid nodded, taking up his Venus Gospel into his right hand. "All right. Canti. First thing you have to do before you can jump is control your breathing. Feel the power of the wind flowing through you and let that lift you up off the ground. Keep your body able to move in any direction, and be very aware of the air around you." He bent his legs underneath his center and pushed up with them as hard as he could. He was up in the air higher and quicker than Kain. Once he reached his peak, he pulled his spear closer to him. He came in at an angle towards the target, showing all his years of training in this technique. It caused the mannequin to split apart upon landing the blow.

"Whoa!" both cousins exclaimed.

"I'm not even the best at it," Cid said, turning back around. "I don't expect you to hit a target on your first jump."

"Canti's the clumsiest dragoon in history," Kain said, only for Cid to whack him on the back of the head. "Ow! Uncle!"

"You know how sensitive Canti is," Cid said, looking at her. "Don't want to break her confidence before she even tries."

"...sorry, cousin…"

Canti held her Garden-issue spear in the way Kain demonstrated. It felt all familiar. She'd held a spear like this before. She'd felt the wind this way before, too. But, that was impossible. "Kain's right. I am clumsy. I'm going to have to work harder than most because this is so delicate," she said, trying to focus her body on the task at hand. "I felt this way when I picked the spear on the first day of classes…"

"Felt what way?" Kain asked.

"Like… I've done this before," she answered. "I've held a spear before. I've… I know the wind. I've ridden it before, somehow."

"You mean like when I carried you, right?" Kain asked.

"No. When you carried me, I wasn't scared at all because I know I've done it before," Canti said honestly. "I've felt it before I met you."

Cid thought back to what Leviathan told him just earlier. About how she'd been rescued, and the enemy that threatened their lives took her birth parents. Hearing that she was familiar to the feeling of using the Dragoon's Jump made him wonder. Were her parents Dragoons? Was she rescued at her young age by a dragoon? "Maybe… you did feel it," he said. "You don't remember your life before the orphanage, so it's very possible that… you knew dragoons before. That you'd have felt the jump. It's a feeling that is unmistakable. You know if you've felt that sensation before."

"You really think it's possible?" she asked excitedly.

"I do," Cid nodded. "So, are you gonna try, then?"

She looked up at him, then at her cousin, and then spread her legs a bit. "Yes!" she gave a shout, feeling the energy from the Wind Crystal swirling about her innards. Canti bent her knees, noticing the energy was starting to expand from her center, and as she lifted off the ground it carried her up further. Being suspended in the air without anyone holding her was the most freeing feeling she could remember experiencing. It was _exhilarating_! She'd done this before. Her body remembered exactly how to do it, even if her mind did not. She ended with her spear straight into the target, landing flawlessly.

"Whoa!" Cid exclaimed. "For your first time, that was… that was fantastic!"

Kain blinked in confusion. How could she have been better at doing this technique at her first try when he'd been spending days upon days training after school so he could be worthy of accepting the position of Grand Dragoon?! He stared at her as she turned around and flicked her braids back the way she always did. "You did very well," he said, trying not to sound jealous or more smitten as he commented. "Impressive."

"No wonder the Wind Crystal took a shining to you!" Cid said, ruffling her hair.

"It's the most amazing feeling, being up in the air like that…" Canti said. "…there's nothing else like it. I'm sure it needs more work. There's no way I'm as good at it as you two are."

"No need to be so humble," Cid laughed. "We totally need to show your Uncle Richard. He won't believe it until he sees it!" He picked her up and put her on his shoulders to carry her back inside. Cid reveled in the fact that Richard would be bent out of shape over it, but he didn't make mention of that aloud.

Kain just watched them before following very slowly. At this rate, his cousin would be Grand Dragoon before he was! How could she take that away from him, when it was the one thing he'd been working for his whole life?! He didn't think that she meant to stand in his way, but that title was always given to the Highwind that was the most worthy of the title… and if that's where she was starting, there was no way he could inherit it! He looked around before he heard his name being called from closer to the manor itself. Oh, he hadn't been this annoyed in a very long time…

Inside the manor, Cid was bragging on Canti's first jump to both Erina and Richard. On and on he went about how flawlessly she handled it, and she just stood there, blushing about what she believed was over-praise. Cid was proud, but she wanted him to tone it down before she turned completely red.

"You'll have to demonstrate," Richard said to Canti. "I am eager to see it."

"Don't!" Kain said suddenly, catching everyone else's attention.

"Why not, son?" Richard asked. "We should give praise where it is due, and if it's that great an execution, then Cantirena deserves all the praise."

"Father, I…" he didn't know how to say it without coming across as an awful person. Someone greedy for power and willing to step all over his beloved cousin's deserved praise. Kain didn't want to take away from her. That Jump was absolutely impressive. He knew it. But that's what frightened him! "…I believe that now is not the time. She should refine before she goes up for an inspection."

"…an inspection? She just learned how to do the technique and no one goes up for inspection unless they're enter in the Warriors of the Water. But you know that." Erina said, shaking her head. "What really is the matter, Kain?"

He bit his lip. "I just want Canti to be at her very best before you see her jump… she should practice and really get it down before showing it off to anyone. We saw it because we were teaching her."

Canti looked at Kain and she could tell by that look in his eyes that something was wrong. "…Kain?" she asked quietly.

"If you want to be a showoff, then be a showoff. But don't come crying when the greatest of all the dragoons isn't impressed with it…" Kain said, crossing his arms.

She felt her eyes burn with tears. "You yourself said it was impressive…" she said, turning away from the rest of the family and running off while covering her face. Canti wailed as she ran, and everyone could hear her even as she kept running through other rooms.

"KAIN!?" both Richard and Cid yelled at him, even though their tones were very different.

"What on Gaia has gotten into you!?" Erina demanded loudly.

Kain looked down at the intricately decorated tiles beneath his feet. He didn't want to make her cry. That was the last thing he wanted. But he was so afraid that his father would decide to have her take his place that he couldn't help but be jealous of her talent.

"School's in the morning," Cid said, turning away. "I think it's time we head home."

"I'll prepare the chocobo carriage for you?" Kain suggested, his voice barely audible.

"No… I think we'll go on our own," Cid grunted. "Last thing we need is someone pulling some more two-faced antics on her." He walked on after his daughter, wondering what could have driven Kain to act that way.

Richard and Erina were both sorely disappointed in their son's behavior. He was sent to his room, forbidden to engage in anything from fun stuff to even training, and was not to come within either of their sights until he headed to school tomorrow. Kain was wracked with guilt. He should have let the family see her show off the family technique. She had every right to show whoever she wanted to show, and she wasn't even being a showoff. Cid was bloating her up more than she was.

As he headed up to his room, he crossed paths with Cid again. That glare was too sharp. Kain couldn't stand it. He'd really messed up this time.

"C'mon, pumpkin," Cid said.

Canti came, but her expression was one of such devastation… "All right, Papa."

Kain stared at her, and she stopped to look at him for a few minutes. There were a million things he could have said, but nothing would come out. Canti waited for him to say something, anything, and the longer she waited for him to say something, the sadder her blue hues became. He had grown to adore her, and breaking her heart might have made it impossible for him to ever have a chance to being more than just cousins. He wondered if she could see how guilty he felt, if she could see just how badly he wanted to make it up to her. He didn't want her to leave. There was still so much to do together.

When she took a step to walk past him, Kain decided he couldn't just let her leave like this. He reached to grab her hand, stopping her from going any further.

"Canti…" he whispered.

She took a deep breath, as it was clear she was holding back many more tears.

"Forgive me," he whispered again.

She sniffled.

"One tear shed over me is one too many," Kain's voice hadn't changed. "I've hurt you, and you may never see me the same way again. I-"

Canti pulled on her hand gently as if to signal that she wanted him to let go, but he wouldn't. She couldn't find the words to speak to him right now. Her heart ached, as she thought her cousin was completely different than how he acted.

"I can't let you go without telling you something important," he continued, keeping that quiet tone. "I… I…"

She took her hand away from him by sheer force, a few tears streaming down her face. Kain stared at her again, finally letting his heart lead instead of just stammering over it like an idiot. Instead of reaching for her hand, he reached for her face, pulling it to his.

Kain kissed Canti!


	32. Chapter 31: Resend

The Rebirth of a Dragoon

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to Tibby-san and MajoHikari for continued support of this little story.

Notes: You don't like this, don't read it. I'm not writing it for you. Also, name change!

Warnings: Eventually all this stuff on this list: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Thirty-one_

Canti was the first to step back, but Kain didn't want to let her go. His eyes opened to look upon her again, and she seemed incredibly disoriented. She lost her balance and fell back to sitting on the floor suddenly. He bent down to see if she was all right, but she didn't respond to him. He said many things to her, though it was like she didn't hear him. Cid helped her to her feet. But Canti was so emotionally overwhelmed that she wasn't moving at all, so he picked her up into his arms, and strapped her bag of belongings to his arm. Kain watched as his uncle carried her away, and she looked back at him as she was carried away.

 _I love you._ Kain thought, turning to go to his room as he was bid, the warmth of her lips still not faded from his own.

…

Canti didn't register the walk home. Once they were finally back in their tiny two room home, she just promptly went to her room to be alone. She hung up her training clothes, as she knew she would need those soon, and she sat upon her bed. She didn't know how to handle what happened there. It made her think of things that didn't make any sense.

It was a familiar sensation, having been kissed like that. She didn't understand why she would have known that, but then again, she didn't understand why the Jump technique came so naturally to her. It was as if she had another life before this one, and her body held all the memories for it while her mind didn't. The warmth of another's lips on hers, the closeness of the hearts during that one moment of union. Her heart ached. Was that ache for Kain? She could feel things in her body stir. A drive to be close to another body. A craving for the sound of another's heartbeat. After sharing a kiss, she was sure that Kain would have been able to give her those things, but the last thing she wanted to do was speak to him now. She reached over to grab a pillow and hugged around it with both her arms and her legs, shoving her face into it and letting out another burst of tears. She was so confused. What status effect was this? She just started learning white magic, there was so way to cast Esuna or even Basuna at this point. Canti just wanted the feeling to go away, so she could go back to living life. She'd be going back to Garden tomorrow, she would be going back to seeing all her friends regularly and attending classes, and the last thing she wanted to do was face them with all of this on her mind. She wouldn't have been able to face Kain at lunchtime. What if he wanted another kiss? What if _she_ wanted another kiss!? Did she want it? She couldn't stop her mind from racing. Well, it _was_ a nice sensation. It did feel lovely. And she did trust Kain, of course. But if she was doubting his intentions, then she _didn't_ trust him after all. Her mind was lost in all sorts of ideas about this, and they just wouldn't quit! What could she do? Was this the confusion status ailment?

Cid watched her from her doorway, doing all he could to remain silent and not let her know that he was there. No wonder Leviathan wanted to address them about what was going on. Leviathan had all sorts of technology, and he kept tabs on all of the students within his Garden facility. He could read into their dreams and see their most deepest desires, as well as things their body knew but their minds forgot. Perhaps, Cid reasoned to himself, that was the reasons why those placement tests that happened on a child's tenth birthday were so accurate. Leviathan was never wrong. And, seeing how Kain took it upon himself to show Canti his true feelings so bluntly, Cid had no reason to not believe the water deity. He turned away, wondering if he should report this or not, only hearing her wails of emotional confusion grow louder. He wanted to comfort his daughter, but he wasn't sure if she wanted the comfort. If she did want comfort, it probably wouldn't have been from her. It made his stomach roll over how little he could actually help her.

Cid sat down at the Sphere and typed a few things, and after typing slowly, he was typing much more quickly. After a while, Canti's cries had calmed down, and he figured she'd cried herself to sleep. He didn't go to check on her, as he had a few things to sort out for work before he went to bed. Wasn't going to take that long. He decided to leave her be and let her come to him when she was ready.

…

Kain lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling above him. There was a picture of a mighty dragoon from his family's history hanging above him that he had hung up there himself. For as long as he could remember, that one goal of becoming the Grand Dragoon was all he thought about. It was all he wanted. All he strived for. But now, as he imagined Canti curling up in her tiny little bed in that tiny little makeshift house Cid built himself out of defiance to the Highwind family, she was all he thought about. He knew she cried. Canti was a tear machine. And he knew that it was his fault she was crying. He was guilty before, but seeing that look of disconnection after having kissed her, he felt even more guilty. Uncle Cid was right, she was an emotional mess. Kain knew she was. She's always been sensitive. Ever since that first time they were introduced.

He sat up, unable to force himself to sleep. There had to be something he could do. He turned to the desk where he did his homework and pulled out some paper to write on. His handwriting was quite nice for someone who spent most of his time trying to hone his body for his future, in a neat cursive with little loops and curly parts, where most people didn't bother making their handwriting like that. Then again, most people would hop on the Sphere to send those instant messages. But he knew that both people he wanted to talk to right now weren't at the Sphere. Kain then went to his oversized closet, and after pulling out a ladder and climbing to the top of all his clothing for every occasion in the history of ever, pulled out a tiny purple velvet bag with a golden string. He climbed back down, as jumping in here would have gotten everything knocked over and only would have served to infuriate both the maid staff and his mother, and went back to his desk. It was meant to be a gift for Canti upon being accepted by the Wind Crystal, but because it came from the Palamecians, he refused to give it to her. He "kept it on her behalf", he told the Senator. But now he was going to put it to use. Kain slowly opened the bag to reveal a strange looking flute that looked like a moogle. He folded up his letter, then walked over to the window. He played a few notes, and within a few moments, a moogle floated by his window.

"Mognet, kupo!" the moogle said. "Will carry any and all letters anywhere within the barrier to Dagurreo!"

"Please take this to Ming Wu," he said, handing the letter over. "Is it possible to call another today? I will be writing more."

"Kupopo. As long as you have a letter to send, kupo. Do not call Mognet Services without a need for us," the moogle explained. "And do not, I repeat, KUPO, do not, call us about asking for replies! Kupooo!"

"Understood," Kain said with a nod. "Please make sure that reaches Ming Wu."

"Not a problem, kupo," the moogle fluttered away, flapping his bat-like wings to carry him away. Even if they were a little chubby in their centers, the moogles still flew much faster than he thought they would. Kain watched him until he was gone entirely. This was a nice device to have. He was going to have to get one of these for his own before he gave the flute to its rightful owner. Even though the young dragoon in training had no idea where to get a Moogle Flute. Sure, he was a part of one of the richest and most prestigious families in all of the country, but before this was placed in his hands, he'd never seen something to connect people to the moogles like that. He knew they used it at the hospital, but he didn't know there was one that civilians could use.

Kain sat back down at his desk and wrote out another letter. This one, much longer, much more heartfelt, while the last one he wrote was simply him needing to ask someone on the outside how to handle his current feelings. This one was expressing his current feelings. He didn't stutter while he was writing. His words flowed, honest, pure, loving words. All the things he wanted to tell her, but was so afraid of her hearing. Of her rejecting. Kain loved Cantirena and he wanted to make sure she knew of it, because he couldn't handle it if she decided to be with someone else. It would rip his heart asunder. He forced Minwu into agreeing to marry his cousin, but he wasn't going to have that anymore. He knew, or perhaps, he didn't quite feel it, but something in him somewhere knew, that if he didn't make his heart perfectly clear to her, that he would lose her. Kain didn't understand how he knew that, but that was the last thing he wanted.

…

Minwu yawned as he sat down to take a break. Working all this time at the hospital was always stressful, but he felt as if it was worth the payoff. There simply were never enough white mages or chemists around to look after all who came in hurt or under status effects! Not enough people studied these things. He was about to read a bit of his book when a moogle appeared in front of him.

"Oh, am I needed again in the Emergency Unit?" he asked.

"One letter from Ming Wu. Thank you for using the Mognet Mail System!" The letter dropped into his lap and the moogle floated away.

"...what?" Minwu shook his head, looking at the letter. He'd never gotten a personal letter from Mognet before, so he didn't know what to make of it. He wouldn't know what to make of it until he read it, so he did.

 _Minwu,_ it read, _I kissed Cantirena._

That handwriting was unmistakably Kain's. And he… kissed his cousin?! What happened with the Highwind family within the last day that their relationship went to that point all ready?! There was no way they'd accept that love. The family was too prestigious in the eyes of the rest of the country that it would ruin their reputation, and that was the whole reason why Kain wanted Minwu himself to marry her. Minwu had no intentions of marrying her, but for Kain to have those sorts of intentions, well, it wouldn't bode well for him. He didn't want to read the rest after that, because Minwu had the sneaking suspicion that Kain had done something monumentally stupid, and he was going to agonizing over it for the next eternity. And, on the other side of that, Canti would be agonizing over it to Minwu, too, when her cousin wouldn't be around. Minwu sighed, continuing to read it anyway.

 _The truth is, I said something that made her cry. I wanted to ask her forgiveness, but she was going to leave before I could even get it out. So, I decided to be up front about it,_ Kain's letter continued. _I couldn't let her leave without knowing exactly how I feel about her, because if I didn't, there would be a chance that she would never speak to me again._

Minwu shook his head, mentally noting that was still a possibility because of how forward he was. Weren't they too young to think about this sort of thing? Minwu and his classmate were only eleven! Thoughts of romance weren't supposed to be a thing until at least a few years down the line when the body starts prepping for the creation of children. Had Kain's puberty started? With all this going on, it seemed to have started far too early, and Canti probably is crying in confusion, because she doesn't understand emotions in the slightest. Especially when these feelings are from someone in the family, to boot.

 _And now, because I made her cry, I'm grounded to my room… I can't get it out of my head that I've probably wrecked her, and all I want to do is prove to her that I want to do everything I can to make it up to her. I love her dearly. I want to protect her from all harms, but how can I do that if I am the harm?_

How much longer did this letter go? Minwu flipped through the pages. There was a lot here. He sighed, putting the letter in his pocket. He wasn't going to let this get in the way of taking a peaceful break when he knew that tomorrow on their way to Garden, Kain would just jump over to him and make a big deal out of it in person. Minwu didn't hate him or anyone else in the Highwind family, but he was so worn out from them after all the ceremony nonsense the day before that he'd had just about enough. He'd rather be on his feet all night taking care of the terminally ill than deal with one more person with the last name Highwind right now. He shoved the letter in his pocket, because he knew he'd finish reading it once his shift was over and he'd made it home.

"Why am I their family counselor?" he asked hopelessly. "Shouldn't they get a real white mage with real experience for that?"

…

Canti rolled over. It seemed as if she'd cried herself to sleep, but she was awake again. She looked at the poster on one wall of her room, and then rolled over to the other side to stare out the window. It wasn't even mid afternoon, but she didn't feel like getting out of bed to literally anything. This weekend had been much too long for her taste. Too much happened, and now both her mind and her nerves were in so many knots she couldn't really make much of it. She stared out at the sky until something blocked her way. She went over to the window to open it, and the thing that was blocking her view stuck its head inside.

"Kupo! Letter for Cantirena Highwind! Thank you for using the Mognet Mail system, kupo!" it said, placing the letter on the windowsill, and then it flew away just as quickly as it got here.

"I thought all messages were done through the Sphere," she said, curious as to why she'd have been given a letter. "Why would I get a paper letter?" She picked it up and stared at it for a bit before putting it on her nightstand. Canti didn't even want to read it right now, as her thoughts of Kain were all over the place, and she wasn't sure what to do about them. "…Kain…" she whispered, wanting to talk to him again.


	33. Chapter 32: Realize

The Rebirth of a Dragoon

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to Tibby-san and MajoHikari for continued support of this little story.

Notes: You don't like this, don't read it. I'm not writing it for you. Also, name change!

Warnings: Eventually all this stuff on this list: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Thirty-two_

Canti didn't remember falling asleep, but she knew when she woke up it would be time to get ready for school. She put on her uniform, her shoes, and had all of her items needed for class, gave her Papa a hug, and left the house without having anything to say. Breakfast was silent, dressing was silent. She didn't even wait for her friends from across the street to come knock on the door as they were prone to do. No, she just went on her own, with her spear strapped to her back, just wanting to get the day done and over with.

She heard a voice call out her name, though. She looked behind her to see Crystal waving, and Hikari came up to her in a blur. "We checked at your house," she said. "Your dad said you had all ready gone." They waited for Crystal to catch up.

"The leftovers your aunt sent us home with fed us all weekend," Crystal said. "We still have more. Grandpa said their food is some of the best he's ever eaten, even if it isn't fresh. So I just wanted to thank you and your family for sharing."

"You don't have to thank me," Canti said, turning to head towards Garden. "I didn't order the food or give it to you."

"I just wanted to be nice…" Crystal frowned. "You okay?"

"I wonder if she had some family trouble after we left?" Hikari whispered to Crystal.

"So… uhhh, did you learn how to Jump and do all the dragoon things?" Crystal asked. "I bet you can do that one move now that I've seen where the dragoon runs past really fast and drains the strength out of the enemy!"

"...that's called Lancer," Canti said quietly. "And, no, I didn't get much time to study. Too much going on…"

Hikari cocked her head to the side. "…do you wanna talk about it?"

Canti sighed. She did want to have a word with Kain now that she'd calmed down. But as she looked up into the mostly cloudy sky and hoped it would rain a crazy deluge, she didn't really have much to say in the moment. "I don't really understand how or why it happened… I just-" she stopped mid sentence and continued walking. "Kain..."

"Kain?" Crystal and Hikari asked at the same time. "You're having a fight with Kain?!"

"Of all people… that's not what I expected to hear," Crystal said, scratching her hair.

"Oh, no, we're not fighting," Canti said. "Not even!" She blushed as she thought of him. She never expected anyone would want to kiss her, not ever. She was too weird. But as she thought about it, she understood why Kain spoke to her like that when she was lying on his shoulder.

"Then what did he do?" Hikari asked. "Did he hurt you?!"

"Kain's not really all that violent, even if he can get worked up over some things," Canti said defensively. "I actually feel very safe in his presence. Though I don't understand why he did what he did yesterday. I mean, it felt… nice, but… I don't understand any of what it means…"

"That kind of talk…" Hikari shook her head. "I never thought… just _wow_ …"

"The way you say it makes me think Kain kissed you or something," Crystal said.

Canti looked back at both of her classmates. "…he did."

"You're serious!"

"Yes."

"That's not so bad," Hikari said with a shrug. "I've had kisses before."

"You have?!" Crystal seemed mortified that she was the last one of the trio to get a kiss. She figured that she'd have a while because Canti didn't seem like the type to go out of her way seeking that kind of affection. "I didn't expect to hear that this morning."

"It was just one. He wanted to apologize about what he'd said before, but he couldn't get the words out, and… he stopped me from leaving, as I was a crying mess," Canti said. "I… liked it. I didn't understand it, but… I liked it."

"That explains so much, you don't even know," Hikari said. "The way he looks after you and all. I thought he was just being dutiful to family, but that makes it clear. Kain's in love with you."

"He… what?" she asked. "No way! The only way I'd believe that is if he told me himself."

"With a kiss, he kinda just did," Crystal said. "That says it loud and clear."

"Oh, Cosmos…" Canti said as the group came upon the statue of Cosmos in the Garden courtyard. "…I feel so confused about all this mess and I have no idea what to do about it."

…

Cid was still given time off due to his brother's executive order, and that gave him some time to start doing some research about what had been ailing him. Whatever it was that Canti was going through, he had the utmost faith that she'd figure herself out and he had a feeling that Kain would end up going along with whatever Canti decided. Kain wasn't the type to make his own decisions. It wasn't even his dream to become the Grand Dragoon in the first place, it was always Richard insisting that Kain train for the position, and Kain believed it was his own decision. He sat down on the Sphere in the living room and looked through records he could access with his identity code. He wanted to know more about the missions he'd been on before he retired from being a pilot, as he didn't even remember how long ago the flights happened. Were there any records of the outside stored online, he wondered, flipping through pages on the Warriors of the Water and the Ship-Yards feedsites.

There were a few things that caught his attention, but any time he wanted to know more about the enemy itself or places outside the barrier, he was not given any information at all. The entire library of public information on the feeds was jack shit. When he went through using his own identity code to search for it, it all came up blank. Did that mean there was no records kept online for research purposes?

Eventually, he came upon a criminal website that mentioned the barrier and clicked on that. He found pictures of people dressed in clothing he never had seen before. But that skin-tone reminded him of one of his daughter's friends, though he couldn't remember the kid's name. He read about a family that tried to break through the barrier. They didn't make it and were taken for sentencing to Leviathan, but there was no more information given about them. The picture was dated about five years ago. He wondered about that family and where they were. He searched for more information, and the only thing he could find was that the family name was Wu. Now where had he heard that before?

He went back on a person search, looking up people with the last name Wu. And there was only one still alive, which had the picture of the boy that his daughter was friends with! He thought they looked familiar. The boy was young, still in Garden, but also training in his off time at the hospital to further his training as a white mage. There was no information given about his parents or personal history.

"Ming Wu, huh?" Cid asked, staring at the information page. "Your family has been erased for trying to cross the barrier… I wonder why you're still alive if the rest of your family is gone."

He stared at it, trying to think more about his time beyond the barrier. Leviathan said that's where Canti was from. That she'd been rescued after the enemy took her family, and she'd been brought here to be safe. He wondered about who rescued her. Who brought her here? They had to be one to cross the barrier and bring her back through, right? Was it one of the pilots?

Did _he_ rescue her? No, that didn't make any sense at all, because he would remember that! He would have remembered if he saved an orphan from being destroyed by the enemy. He would have remembered all of that mission, but he didn't. Cid shook his head. It was all so confusing. What more was missing? Was there a connection between… the Wu family and Canti's rescue, somehow?

As he got more lost in thought, the Sphere rang loudly to signal that this number was being called. He almost fell over from the initial shock of the sound of the ringer breaking the silence of the house, except for when he was typing in keywords or passcodes. Cid clicked to accept the call.

"Hello, this is Cid."

"Just the man I wanted to speak with," the voice on the other end wasn't one he recognized. "Papa Cid, right? That's what she calls you?"

"Who is this?!" Cid asked. "And what do you know about my daughter?!"

"Forgive me. I'm the head of the Westside Orphanage. My name is Borghen," the voice said quietly. "I've been privy of a lot of your daughter's information as for a while she was my responsibility, and I would like to see how she's holding up after living outside of the orphanage as it's been a little over a year now. If there's anything wrong with her, we can easily take her back and find her a new family."

"No, sir. We don't have any problems at all. The Highwind family just threw her a party this last weekend to celebrate her very being a part of the family," Cid said. "I love her dearly and I couldn't bear to be without her in my life."

"I am so very happy to hear that. Not many of the orphans within Dagurreo settle so well, and I was concerned as she was a bit of a… misunderstood child, shall we say?" Borghen said. Man, his voice was creepy. It was hard for Cid to imagine that man running an orphanage and taking care of children. "It gives the rest of the children here hope that they will merge into a forever family one day when they hear of it, too."

"...well I'm glad to be of service," Cid said, ready to hang up.

"One more thing," Borghen said. "Do you mind if I check up on her while she's at Garden, to make sure she's as happy as you are?"

"If you aren't interrupting her classes, I don't see why not…" he said, shrugging. What more could he have said to the guy?

"Fantastic. Thank you. Have a great day, _Papa_ Cid."

"Yeah, bye." Cid hung up the call. What a weird guy. He didn't remember the manager of the orphanage sounding like that, but how much time did he really sit there and listen to what he had to say back then, anyway? When he was adopting Canti, he was there with Leviathan.

…

Classes went by rather fast. Canti didn't have a single problem doing any of the practice reps with her weapon in Combat Basics, and transcribing spells didn't bother her in Magical Mastery. She smiled as lunch started, as she brought a whole box of leftovers so she wouldn't have to wait in line. She sat under her favorite tree, as usual, and waited for all her friends to join her, as she knew they would.

As she ate on her leftover pasta and stared at the wrapped leftover cake, she heard the _swish_ noise made by everyone who ever used the Jump technique. She knew who it was, and it made her heart skip a beat.

"Canti?" it was the first time she'd heard his voice since they'd shared that kiss.

"Yes, Kain?" she asked quietly, taking another bite.

"...I don't know… what to say to you right now," he confessed. "After what happened, and-"

"I didn't hate it," she said. "It felt… nice… and… warm…"

"Yes, it did… it was… one of the greatest feelings I've ever experienced…"

"Kain…"

"Yes?"

"I don't understand why," she said, shaking her head. "Why you decided the best way to get your feelings across was with a kiss."

Kain stepped closer. "May I sit with you?" he asked.

"I wouldn't ever tell you to go away," Canti said, taking another bite. She'd finished the pasta and it was time to get started on that piece of cake. She nearly ripped that open as it was just a small piece of excitement to help her get through the day. Mateus had gotten her such a nice cake. She wondered if she could ever have something like that again as she took her first bite of it.

He sat down next to her, not wanting to invade her personal space, but to just be next to her. "The reason I did it? Because I-"

"It's the Highwind cousins sharing a lovely lunch under my favorite tree," Mateus' voice said from above them. He'd been sitting in the branches this whole time? Uh oh. "Oh, I'm sorry. Was I interrupting you?"

"Get out of here," Kain said angrily. "I'd like to have a word with my cousin!"

"I have the impression that you'd like to have more with her," he said, climbing down the tree. "I had a feeling if I waited here, Canti would show… and that meant you would, too."

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave us alone?" Kain asked, watching Mateus walk around them. "Just because you were at the ceremony doesn't mean-"

"Doesn't mean what?" Mateus asked. He sat in front of them, grinning. "Don't worry. You can tell her whatever was on your mind. I won't share any of it. Just like I won't share what happened at camp last summer with anyone, either."

"...you dare bring that up here?!" Kain asked, even more pissed off than he had been. "I'll skewer you right now-"

"Kain," Canti said. "If you do that, you'd get more than just Uncle Richard grounding you. Killing a man lands you in prison. If you go to prison, I wouldn't be able to have you near me."

"Canti…" he decided just to concentrate on her then. Maybe she just couldn't say it directly because they were being watched or in a public place, but he took that as confirmation that she had feelings the way he did. "…you're right! In prison, I cannot become the Grand Dragoon or be close to you."

"Come on…" Mateus said. "...you know you love me, Kain."

"I could never care anything about you."

"After what we did together at camp? You'll never forget me as long as you live."

Canti took another bite of the cake. "Mateus, you're getting annoying. I really wanted to hear what Kain has to say. I've been wondering why he did what he did all day," she said, glaring at him. "Please go away. We can talk later, okay?"

"...very well," Mateus said, picking himself off the grass and walking away. "I'll see you in Chorus."

"...you sure will," she grunted, turning back to Kain. "Now. Please tell me what was going through your mind. I was crying all afternoon because you… what you did didn't make any sense at all!"

 _I did it because I love you._

She looked at him curiously. "Well? Are you going to say anything?"

"Wait, you didn't hear me?" Kain asked. "Oh, I must not have said it out loud…" he pushed the bangs back from his face and looked into her eyes. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to upset you. Canti, I love you. I didn't understand it at first. You were a family member that I saw needed to be protected, so I went with that. But the more time I spent with you, the more I grew to love you. I've always wanted you to be near me, I long for you when you aren't."

Canti nodded. "Oh, Kain… I love you, too."

"You do?!"

"Will you kiss me again?"

"Every moment I can for the rest of my life, yes, I will!"

The two shared another kiss, and another, and another. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled his whole body close. How he wanted more of her, more of her warmth, of her touch, of everything to do with her! She had accepted his love and, what's more, reciprocated everything! What a glorious day! He didn't care who saw them showing their passion, he didn't care who would stop them, because the moment they were together again, there would be more. There would be more for the rest of their lives…

"Hey! Kain!"

A voice called him from his thoughts. Warm water was pouring down on him. Kain was naked. When he regained awareness of where he was, Kain found himself in a shower stall. He wiped his face and yet more water poured onto him from above.

"Dude, you've been in there for like ten minutes! Are you coming out or what?!" It was Tidus. Kain realized he'd just finished with Combat Basics and was there to clean the sweat off his body, but all he'd done since he got into the water was start daydreaming. "You're gonna get your ass roasted if you're tardy to Monsterology."

"You're right," Kain said, immediately turning the water off. "I'm sorry. I lost myself in a daydream." He wrapped himself with a towel around his waist and headed out of the stall.

"...that doesn't sound very much like you," Tidus said. "You all right?"

"Yes, I am perfectly fine," he said, heading over to his locker to dry off and dress himself. The more he thought about it, there was no way Canti would just be so willing to accept his affection the way he dreamed about it. And what's more, he knew that others would certainly do what they could to butt in on whatever they were doing. Could be Mateus, could be Minwu, could have been one of her two girlfriends she was always with. They wouldn't leave them be with a simple shooing. But he would go see her for lunch and see how she was doing. He didn't want her to be confused after what happened yesterday. He hoped that she read his letter and that she was willing to accept his affection, though. He couldn't help but hope for it.


	34. Chapter 33: Realm

The Rebirth of a Dragoon

Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to Tibby-san and MajoHikari for continued support of this little story.

Notes: You don't like this, don't read it. I'm not writing it for you. Also, name change!

Warnings: Eventually all this stuff on this list: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar

 **FIC START!**

 _Chapter Thirty-three_

When Kain headed towards the courtyard where most of the students were known to gather for lunch after he was done with the day's Monsterology lessons, he found Canti under the same tree she was always under. She was a creature of habit and routine. As he headed that way, he noticed that her usual friends had gathered around her. Crystal and Hikari were there, and he saw Minwu making his way over there. Minwu hadn't actually spoken to him today, even though they were in the same Combat Basics class. He didn't remember much about today's Combat Basics, but even though they were usually doing reps close together, Minwu was nowhere to be seen. He started to head over there to the only friend he had that was his age.

"Hey, Minwu," Kain called out to him. "Where have you been today?"

Minwu said, "Oh, I was over with the other staff users. Did you not even register that today we broke off into groups based on weapon type?"

"No, I didn't. I was lost in thought the entire time," Kain confessed.

"You've become quite obsessed, haven't you?" the white mage in training asked. "After having kissed her, she's devoured every bit of your thoughts."

"You have me pegged," Kain said with a little nod. "Now what do I do?"

"Have you spoken to her about it since?" Minwu asked.

"...I wrote her a letter last night. But I haven't spoken to her about it at all."

"Don't do it here," Minwu said quietly. "Last thing you want is your cousin to be gossiped about. They may overhear the truth, but when this kind of things spread, rumors can grow way out of proportion." He sighed. "Speak to her in private about it. You don't want wandering ears to catch wind of what happened between you two."

"You're right. I should respect that, at the very least."

"Now do me one more small favor," Minwu said, looking at his friend carefully.

"Sure."

"Do try to keep me out of your family affairs. I'm your friend, not your counselor. And, since you've decided to be outspoken about your feelings, I hope you don't intend on forcing me to keeping that infuriating promise," Minwu scolded him, glaring the entire time. "I'm not going to marry, I am not going to father children, and I'm not going to join your family so long as I can help it. Do you understand?"

"...yes, Minwu…"

"Thank you."

The duo walked over to where the girls were sitting. All three girls were happily eating their lunch, just enjoying how simple the midday was underneath the mostly dreary sky. Kain hoped that it would rain. That was his favorite sort of weather. Sometimes the sunlight just got too bright and hurt his eyes, which was why he preferred wearing the dragon helmets that went over his eyes any time he went training while the sun was still out. He liked those helmets and hoped that one day, he could have one of his very own when he earned the rank of dragoon. Maybe his would be sort of like that statue in the Highwind Manor's Garden when he got to be the Grand Dragoon… his father had a custom dragon helmet that was given to him when he became the Grand Dragoon, and it was a family heirloom at this point. Kain would watch his father for hours shining that thing until it was so shiny all the jewelry hanging in his mother's closet was envious.

"Hi, Kain!" Crystal said as he sat down to open his lunchbox. It was just as full of ceremony leftovers as Canti's was. "How are you today?"

"Doing well," Kain responded, taking his fork out. "And you?"

"I got to pound the hell out of iron today in Blacksmithing," Crystal said. "Eventually, I'll go up the ranks and learn to form things like mythril, damascus, orichalcum, and one day, probably once I'm an official Blacksmith, I'll be able to work with adamantite!" She seemed way stronger than she actually appeared, which was typical of the dwarves. Though with vibrant teal hair like that, Kain wasn't sure if she was full dwarf, but he didn't want to be rude about it. "Lali-ho! I'm so excited for my future as a blacksmith!"

"Oh yeah? I was learning things about how to make the haste spell more potent," Hikari said. "In Magical Mastery, we divided into groups to suit our class of magic. I'm a pretty fast one all ready, but I'd never cast Haste that could go four times faster than a normal haste before. I was so dizzy, Canti had to use almost all her energy to cast Basuna on me."

"She ran from where the green mages were to where we white mages were without even knowing where she even was," Canti continued the story. "So without even thinking, I grabbed one of the textbooks on Professor Ifreet's desk and read out Basuna to cure the confusion. It worked pretty well. I almost fainted, but Hikari helped me get to my desk where I could rest." She did look a bit tired, but the more she ate of her cake, the more she seemed to be coming back to normal. "We were learning how to use more of our spirit to channel stronger versions of Cure. I'd never cast anything but a basic Cure spell… Ifreet was totally impressed though."

"With both our progress!" Hikari said. The two girls giggled just as Crystal had.

"That's impressive that you just read it out of the book and got it on your first try," Minwu's compliment made Kain's comment from yesterday just echo through his mind. Oh, the wave of regret was flowing through his mind now. That was the last thin he wanted now. "Don't you think so?" He nudged Kain, trying to encourage him to participate in the conversation.

"Oh, yes, it sure is… impressive," Kain said quietly with a nod. "That's great for you, Canti."

"At least no one was there to stop me," Canti said, not looking up from the cake in her lunchbox. "You know, from being a showoff."

"...you weren't showing off," Kain said, not looking up from his lunchbox. "You never do. That's not how you are. And… I'm sorry I… called you a showoff yesterday."

Canti sighed, finishing up her lunch and putting it all away. "I'm not mad at you, cousin. I don't understand why you did it, but I'm not mad."

"You aren't?"

"No. I'll get another chance to show Uncle Richard that I can do a Dragoon's Jump," she said. "I should practice first before I do, though."

"Oh… right," Kain said, not raising his voice.

"...that's it?" Crystal asked. "You didn't want to talk about the _other_ thing?"

Kain couldn't help but wonder the same thing, but he wasn't going to press the issue now. It wasn't the right time, and they were in company. He just stuck to eating and listening to what everyone else had to say.

"Now's not the time, here's not the place," Hikari said. "I wouldn't talk about that here, either. Not with all us around. It's not really our business anyway."

"Can't argue with that," Crystal said.

So just like he had reached out to Minwu, Canti had reached out to her closest friends over it, too. He didn't know if they approved, or if it changed their opinion of him or not. He wasn't sure if he cared, either, but the thought did appear in his head regardless. Kain finished his lunch quickly… but he hesitated before putting it away.

"And there's also someone hiding in the branches above, just waiting for some juicy information…" Hikari said, annoyed. She looked up at the tree they were all sitting under. "…I see you there, looming."

"I was just curious…" it was Mateus who hopped out of the tree. "Considering I know emotions were running high at the Highwind Manor due to the ceremony. They always are."

Canti sighed. "Have you ever actually been to the manor, aside from on Saturday?"

"I don't have to be there to know," Mateus said, circling around the group. "I live just a few houses down in the same district. It's not like they argue like the trash in the poor district, but-"

"Trash from the poor district?! What is wrong with you?!" Hikari grumbled. "So sorry we aren't made of money, your highness!"

"There is a poorer district than your… humble area," Mateus said. "A home for the refuse of the city. No, you aren't the poor people of Dagurreo. Those who live under the docks at Fisherman's Horizon, they have less than four walls to live in." He shrugged. "They argue constantly over there. If it weren't for people like Miss Erina Highwind donating things to them, I think they'd starve to death. Perhaps the country would be better off without them, but there they are. Struggling to survive."

Canti had never been to Fisherman's Horizon, so she had no idea what Mateus was talking about. Hikari seemed fired up over Mateus' description over the situation. She knew more about the state of the country, as she knew a Senator because of her dad's job. She probably got to hear all kinds of things about the wellbeing of the country because of that. "How is anyone dying going to make the world better off?" she asked.

"Those people are still people!" Hikari said loudly. "No matter their situation! If I were a senator, I'd tell families like yours to share! You don't need all the money you have! At least Kain's mom knows not to leave anyone hungry!"

"We make money by keeping ever single monster within this country from hurting anyone else," Mateus snapped at her. "My family has earned its reputation and its status!"

"All right, that's enough…" Minwu said sternly. "…there's no reason to fight over this."

"...you know what?" Canti said, picking herself up. "Since I'm done eating, I'm going to the library. At least it's quiet in there."

"...do you mind if I… join you?" Kain asked.

"If you want to," she said, heading off in that direction and Kain quickly following suit.

"Those two…" Mateus said, starting to follow them, totally ignoring the conversation he was having with Hikari.

"Don't you even," Crystal grunted at him. "You can just go off your own way."

…

Canti was so tired of listening to everyone else chatter on. She needed a moment to let her ears rest. She figured that Kain would want to talk to her, and since there wasn't any other students in the library this time of day, it wouldn't be so bad. But, honestly, she'd rather not talk about that one pressing issue while at school anyway. She sat down with her books at one of the many tables, far from the door that led back outside. The lighting in there was much more dim, but not dark. She took in a deep breath, relishing in the silence.

Kain sat at the same table, across from her. He had textbooks to go through, too. Even if she didn't want to talk to him, she was okay with him being around at the very least. That made him happy. He didn't want to be the one to start the conversation. He didn't want there to be pressure between them.

Canti flipped through her book, got out some writing utensils, and started taking a few notes. Every now and then, she looked over at him, and then she went back to whatever it was she was doing. Did she expect Kain to speak to her? He didn't even know where to begin. He watched her calmly, carefully go over her textbook.

He decided he wanted to do something, anything, to hold her over until they were away from school. She was just as anxious as he was, but Canti was just trying to hide it. He reached over, putting his hand on top of her right hand as it was not the one writing at the moment.

She stopped and looked up at him again, even though she remained silent. The warmth of his hand on hers was comforting. Maybe he was just as afraid to speak as she was after all. It was nice to have him there instead of being all alone.

Then the bell rang. Lunch break was over.


	35. Chapter 34: Resound

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: What? I'm writing this for me. I think that's crystal clear by now.

Warnings: All the stuff I've listed for the last 33 chapters and then some. You haven't figured them out, then you probably aren't paying attention. Why are you here again?

FIC START!

 _Chapter Thirty-Four_

After Canti had packed up all her things from the library, she headed over to the Music Building and made her way to choir. It wasn't that far off from the main Garden building, but she did wonder why all of the music classes didn't take place within the main building until she walked past a door where a few students still learning the trombone made a very unpleasant noise with it. Of course. Other classes could easily be interrupted with those sorts of noises going on just across the hall, or sharing a wall. She could just imagine studious little ones all trying to take a test and those still learning instruments or singing incredibly off-key being a massive distraction. As much as she liked music, and being musical, that would be so annoying, she'd want to run them through with her spear!

She was greeted by her much older friend, Mateus, at the door. The bell signifying the start of class hadn't rang yet, so it looked like he was going to take advantage of the very few minutes of free time he had to work with.

"There you are," he said as he followed her to her spot within the choir stands. She put her backpack and spear down in front of her place as all the other students had been doing before she straightened out her uniform skirt. "I'd been waiting for you."

"Is there a particular reason why?" Canti asked.

"Because…" he replied, "…I'd wanted to give you a personal congratulations upon being accepted by the Wind Crystal at the Ceremony this weekend."

"Didn't you do that at the ceremony? I mean, you were the one who got me the biggest cake that had ever been made in Dagurreo, right?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Mateus nodded, flicking back his beautiful golden hair. As his bangs flowed back away from his face, Canti noticed that something was in the middle of his forehead. It looked like an amethyst, though that didn't make any sense. How could there have been a shining stone stuck on someone's forehead? It matched the color of his eyes and the purple rose that was on the letter he sent, too. "I only get the best for those I care about," he said proudly. "Though you could tell me more about what all has happened between you and your dear cousin…"

"We didn't do anything in the library," she said. "I went to go look through a chapter of my Mysidian textbook, and take some notes so I could ask Minwu about what had me stumped, and… Kain just watched me. I can't imagine it was very fun."

"No, I can't imagine it was, either," Mateus crossed his arms. It only felt as if Kain was doing all he could to stand in his way. If Kain was always going to be at her side, there was no way he could make his way to being close to her. "Even if you are beautiful, it wouldn't be fun to watch you read."

"Beautiful?" Canti asked, shaking her head. "My cousin's more beautiful than I am."

"Kain is also a lovely specimen," he agreed.

"Is _that_ why he hates you?"

"Kain hates me because he once attended a summer program alongside me, and-"

The bell ran to signal class had begun, and all of the students were sent to their places in the stands. They were all led through the ritual exercises as they were every class. Canti stood among the sopranos, and she had a natural ability for singing. It was something she'd always liked to do, though she never really took it seriously. She wasn't even sure if it was something she really wanted to study and chase further than just doing it for fun. Canti was told to study singing and to become a better singer due to the testing that everyone was made to take. What use could there have been to this? She wasn't going to be a performer. She wanted to be a pilot. That's what she decided. Regardless of what the tests would make her out to be, that's what she wanted. Even as they were led through their scales and the standard hymns praising Cosmos, she couldn't let that thought go. She made a decision about her future.

"Next week," the Professor Starlet said, calling to everyone. "You will be given an assignment. Your first task in becoming proper Bards."

Bards? Canti asked. She blinked in confusion. There had to be some mistake. She was training to be a dragoon. To follow in Papa Cid's footsteps. She wanted to stand up and ask why. There were mages and warriors and thieves scattered about the room. There were very few in the room actually carrying lutes.

"Is that true? We're all training to be Bards?" someone else said behind her. It was another soprano that she'd seen in passing a few times, but she had a rod. Clearly training in a school of magic. "But… it doesn't make much sense to me."

"Not all of you will make the music your main focus in battle, but everything we train at here in Garden is to be used for battle in one way or another, Garnet," Starlet said. "We all are in training to defend against the enemy. All of us. The darkness on the other side of the barrier that protects us will one day come through, and we all must be prepared for the battle."

"Music for use in battle?" a warrior asked. "I highly doubt that."

"You may not think it possible," one of the students that carried a lute spoke up, filled with passion. "There are songs to heal and boost your allies, as well as songs to strike fear into the hearts of enemies."

"The way to strike fear into the hearts of an enemy is not through song…" some guy in ninja garb said on the other side of the room.

"You're absolutely wrong," Starlet said forcefully. She snapped her fingers at one of the students carrying a lute. "One of you get up here and show Mr. Geraldine how it's done."

"You think I'm going to be scared by a song?" the same ninja asked. "You're not that bright."

The bard that spoke up earlier came to stand in the center where all of the students around the room could see him. He strummed a few chords and, while he had an expression on his face like he didn't want to do it, started with some very low notes. As he played, a dark circle swarmed about his feet. Canti heard many others around her react with a gasp, but she didn't. She was fascinated by the darkness he was able to manifest just by playing a few notes in the right sequence. What would happen if he started to actually sing? At this point, he was just calling up the energy. He hadn't put it to use yet? But then the bard looked straight at the cocky ninja sitting with the bassists, and he said a few words in a language she didn't know. It headed straight at the ninja and seized him, leaving the young man unable to focus or breathe. He'd been left in a state of absolute fear!

"Thank you very much, Edward," Starlet said. "Let this all be a lesson to you. It is possible for us all to use our voices to influence others around us, either in good ways or bad ways." She noticed that the ninja wasn't able to snap himself out of his fearful state and had a few moogles carry him off to the infirmary so they could deal with it. "As you all have the ability to sing, you will learn how to weaponize that voice. We do not let any talents that could help us survive go to waste. No ability untrained."

Canti sank back against her spot in the stands, just waiting for the class to finish. She wasn't in a state like that ninja before, but she was scared to think of just what her voice would be used for in the future if she'd have to learn how to do that. She looked down at her belongings underneath the next student down's seat. Bards had some incredible potential, and she was able to become one, apparently. But she still wanted nothing more than follow in her father's footsteps to become a dragoon and a pilot. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have back up powers just in case she couldn't fight with her spear. Especially if she planned to go beyond the barrier one day.

…

Leviathan sat at one of his huge control panels, flipping through old paper files, and comparing them to the current information in the digital files. He'd all ready done a lot of editing, however there was something he noticed was much different. According to the readings retrieved from the previous night's scanning, it was discovered that the relationship values were turning out much differently than they were in the world outside. He did a double-take upon noticing how little affection there was between Canti and Minwu, when he was most certain those two were destined for each other. There used to be a very deep and pure love between them, one that could have stood against any and all evil. He pushed up his aquamarine framed glasses and flicked a few dead scales out of his hair. How could this be? What was so different about the events around them this time? He didn't like this one bit, given the fact that he needed Canti to have the power of love backing her up in the fight against the Ardent. That was one of the things she was being rebooted for!

"Well, I don't believe it has to be Minwu," he murmured to himself, though he was unsure of it. "As long as she knows love, she'll be able to fight…"

Leviathan kept comparing relationship values. Balthier had become an enemy!? _What_?! Vanille didn't even know her yet?! **How**?! Giving humans free will after rebooting their minds was an awful mistake. This was supposed to be her party! All of these people loved her and would fight by her side through any and everything. The only thing going the way it was supposed to was Cid's role, and even then, he had his doubts. Leviathan gave a long sigh, reaching to take a drink of his coffee. At… the very least, Kain was doing his job of remaining close to her, but he had a feeling that this was going to explode within the world he'd built for them all to help Canti have her rebirth. They'd be denied. Oh, why the hell did he make Kain her cousin?! He felt the weight of the whole multiverse on his shoulders. He was going to have to find a way to step in if it came to that. Canti's mind was fragile. It was still being rebuilt even while in this massive program. If he ended it now, she'd be damn near comatose, similar to how she was before she applied for release of the Keeper program.

He was in such despair that he couldn't bring himself to look through Hikari's files once he put Canti's away. How did he fuck up on hers, he didn't even want to know.


	36. Chapter 35: Retain

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: None at the moment, just keeping this here in case there are in the future.

Warnings: All the stuff I've listed for the last 34 chapters and then some. You haven't figured them out, then you probably aren't paying attention. Why are you here again?

FIC START!

 _Chapter Thirty-five_

Before Canti could even make it out the door from Chorus once the bell had given the signal for the end of class, Mateus managed to catch up to her. Usually, he'd let her go on her way and just watch her until she was on the other side of the main Garden building, but if he was going to be assertive while dealing with her, he was going to have to make a start. "Please," he said, "I know this is abrupt, but I would like to spend more time with you."

"We have a class together, and we've had our little talks during the breaks," Canti said quietly. "I don't know what you mean by… spending more time together."

"Outside of class. Outside of school," Mateus said, his voice holding a tone to let her know that it was less of a request and more of a demand. It made her feel a little uneasy hearing him speak like that. "I wish to do more with you."

"It's a long walk to Professor Bismark's classroom, Mateus. Can we please talk about this some other time?" she suggested. "I'd rather not be tardy."

"Bismark…" Mateus mumbled. "…you're heading to a language class, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"...then I will escort you, as yours is merely a stop along the way from my own," he said gently.

That's not what she wanted to hear… well, whatever. She sighed. "Fine," she gave a nod. "We need to leave now before I'm late. Minwu really hates it when others are late." Canti got a good grip onto her spear and started walking in that direction.

"Minwu?" the tall blonde inquired. "Oh… now I see." He walked alongside her, though he noticed that because of how short she was, it was very easy to leave her behind if he walked at her normal pace. "You're studying that ancient language, the one he's always using under his breath."

"Yes…" she said.

"I don't understand what use it could be to study a dead language, but that's not up to me. That's up to the tests," Mateus grunted, shaking his head. "Those in power know what our purpose is, and that's all we live by… doesn't have to make any sense."

"You said you want to be able to spend more time with me," Canti said, not even looking over at him as they walked side by side. "I have no idea what you want to do."

"Be around you. Do things with you. Aren't we friends?" he said, not sure of what to suggest to instantly make her agree to spending time with him. "What do you like to do?"

"I like…" she wondered how she should answer that. There were things she did like doing. She watched cartoons on the Sphere, she loved to read books, she loved to dance in the rain and watch the clouds or the stars from atop their tiny little house. And now she was devoting time outside of school to practice with her chosen weapon on top of all of that. But most of those things, she didn't share with anyone except Papa Cid. She didn't want to give up those things for whatever it was that Mateus wanted to do. Even if they were friends. She wanted to do her favorite things alone. "…to do things alone."

Mateus blinked a few times, and those short little legs of hers kept on going at a brisk pace. He was completely stumped. What kind of girl didn't want to do things with friends? He kept walking, heading to his next class, and he watched her as she turned into a door in the side of the hall now closest to them. As he went past that door, he could see that she'd all ready met up with Minwu. He was going to have to do something to get her attention, but he wasn't sure what just yet.

…

Canti was annoyed. Minwu could see it in her face, clear as day. As they waited for Bismark's door to come open, he looked at her, but her eyes never met with his. He noticed her breathing and how she carried herself. She could have thrown everything she carried in a fit of frustration, but she was doing her best to keep herself together. Minwu reached over to put his hand on her shoulder, but she didn't react to it.

"Have you done any study over the weekend?" he asked quietly. Minwu expected to hear that she hadn't even though about studying since before the ceremony or since. She'd had a lot to deal with the last weekend, and with that look, there must have been more through today, too.

"No, but I did have a chance to write down what I would like to ask you about earlier," she answered flatly, not even bothering to look up at him. "If you don't mind. You've been a great tutor."

"Though I am quite certain your mind is not on the books as of now."

"No, Minwu. I know that now we're supposed to study," Canti said. "So that's what we'll do."

That wasn't of much help. Mysidian was a language that took dedication and concentration to learn. Minwu gave a little sigh before he tried to say anything to her again. "Did Kain… say anything to you when you went off alone?" he asked.

"No. And you're not the only person to ask me about that since, either," she snapped at him. "Why does everyone care so much about what happened between me and Kain?!"

"I don't care what happened between you and Kain," Minwu said back at her just as sharply. "That is not of my concern, however, if I am going to be teaching you, then I would like to understand why I do not have your full attention." He shook his head. "What happens in your family is your business." He rolled his eyes and knocked on the door of Bismark's classroom.

The door opened with a half sleepy Bismark standing there. He was in shambles, as usual. Minwu could have punched him where he stood, but he didn't have the strength to bother with that. Bismark moved out of the way to allow them both to step in the classroom and then shut the door behind Canti once she was inside. He then went back to his desk and promptly went right back to sleep.

"What was it, that you wanted to ask about?" Minwu asked once he and Canti had sat down the same way they always did.

"I was looking through this book this morning, and I found a passage…" she pulled out her notebook and the text to show him. It was towards the middle of the book, further from where he had taught her before. "I think it's supposed to be a poem? But when I tried to read it, I felt something. It… I don't even know how to describe how it made me feel."

Minwu took a closer look at the place she pointed at. He gasped as he read it through. "This is no mere poem," he said as he read it. "This… this is…"

"What is it?"

He shook his head. "I… I cannot tell you what this is. I did not believe you would be going through the text beyond what we were going over…" Minwu quickly looked over at Bismark. He thanked his lucky stars that the so-called professor was such a useless fop for the first time ever. "…what of it did you understand?"

"The word 'open' is in there, but not much else."

Minwu didn't give the book back. He shoved it back into his bag. "What was I thinking, giving you this? I'll be bringing the book back every day for class," he said quickly. "Of course a mind like yours is always going to want to learn as much as it can on its own…" He felt his pulse become faster and faster, like he was being engulfed in fear.

"What's wrong, Minwu?" Canti asked, not sure of what triggered him so harshly.

"Nothing," he said, doing all he could to calm himself down. "Nothing. Nothing is wrong. I've… I'm not… no, _no_ , I won't have you be taken…" He thought he would have a heart attack if he couldn't stop this rapid pulsating.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, leaning over to put her hands on him. "Calm down, please…" Canti tried to do as Minwu had always done for her by channeling positive feelings through her hands, like casting a cure spell for the mind. She didn't know if it was going to work, but simply had to try. " _Please_ … calm down."

Minwu noticed that his heart was calming down. It wasn't magic, but it was something. He was able to catch his breath, and once he was back to being his calm self, he was able to look at her. "Canti?"

"You… helped me…"

"Of course. You've always done the same for me," she said very quietly, "So, because I did, you have to answer my question. What is that passage? Why did it make you have a fit like that? What do you mean by... taken?"

Minwu looked once again at the professor to make sure he was in a deeper sleep than usual, and then he went to make sure that the door into the classroom was locked from the inside. Then he sat down and peered directly into her bright blue eyes. "There is a reason why I am the only fluent speaker and reader on this side of the barrier," he whispered, leaning close to her. "My family, or what's left of it, was taken."

"Taken?" Canti asked, cocking her head to the side. "But why?"

"Because the seal of the barrier is cast in Mysidian," Minwu replied. "And only someone who understands the seal can go through it."

"...why would there be a way to break the barrier that holds the enemy away?" Canti asked again.

"I wish I knew. I've been studying everything my parents left behind in between having a purpose for the good of all the people to keep those in power from questioning my motives," Minwu kept whispering. "They knew what was on the other side of the barrier, and they knew how to get it."

"Who would take your family?"

"Who else keeps us all under control because we are preparing for the battle with the enemy on the outside?" he asked. "Everyone is trained for that exact purpose, Canti. That's is what we're here for, isn't it?" When Bismark looked like he wanted to sit up, Minwu murmured something and cast a spell on him, causing the wayward professor to pass right back out.

Canti couldn't help but think that the first thing she would do when she got home was tell her Papa about what she knew. He could tell Uncle Richard, and they could go from there. They had power, they could investigate this, right?! Maybe the Dragoons could help rescue Minwu's parents, or… something! They could do something about all this!

"I know you wish to run and tell those in your family with political power that you know of this, but I must stress to you how bad of an idea this really is. The Grand Dragoon is one of the highest ranks within the government and one of Leviathan's most loyal followers. You may be a Highwind, accepted by the family and everything, but let me assure you, you'd either be taken or… changed."

"Changed?!"

"Altered somehow. I've noticed many around the hospital who are not the same after they have a meeting with someone in the government," Minwu continued. "It has no explanation whatsoever, and they're physically healthy. But they're not the same. Their memory goes blank, some forget who they even are." He reached for her and hugged around her tightly. "I refuse to let them take you or change you. I can't allow that. There has to be another fluent in this language to help me solve this. Once I do, maybe I can see what it was that my family was seeking so passionately."

"Minwu, can I tell you a secret?"

"I've just told you my most prized secret. I don't see a reason why not."

"I made a decision. That was not made for me," Canti said with a quiet little giggle. "They say everything is determined by the tests. The classes we take and how we learn to fight, right? Well. I decided that I'm going to be a pilot. My Papa Cid was a pilot before he adopted me. He flew beyond the barrier. I'm going to do the same thing."

"Your father was a pilot?"

"Yes! An airship pilot! He did missions for the government before he adopted me. If I become a pilot, then I can get whatever it is your family was looking for. Maybe I can even take you there!"

Minwu shook his head. "You know making a decision like that would put you under watch from the government. You know that, right?"

"Don't worry. The only people who know are you and Kain. I won't tell anyone else."

"..."

"Do me a favor, Minwu."

"Whatever you'd like."

"I need to be as fluent as possible in Mysidian. I know that whenever I get to wherever is beyond the barrier, I'm going to need to be able to understand the people that use the language. I know they're out there. I just have to get to them," Canti said. "My destiny is to go outside the barrier one way or another."

"I will do everything I can to help you, Canti. If I cannot go, then I will need someone else to go in my stead." He gripped her tighter. "Cosmos bless you."

…

Once class was done for the day, Canti walked outside around the giant golden statue of Cosmos. She was with Crystal and Hikari, who were both being followed by a big group of friends. As they were heading off campus, Kain caught up to Canti and whispered in her ear, "Would you mind taking a detour on your way home with me?"

Canti turned without even saying goodbye to everyone else. When Kain made a jump up, she followed right after him, going out of sight and earshot to the rest of the group.

"...that doesn't surprise me at all," Crystal said.

"Me, either," Hikari agreed.

Kain and Canti kept jumping through trees and on top of buildings, until they ended up far from school and much higher up than any normal person could ever reach unless they were dragoons themselves.

"I've been meaning to speak to you privately for a while," Kain said. "Forgive me, I haven't had the chance since-"

"Kain…"

"…yes, Canti?"

"I don't understand why you kissed me."

"Because I love you," he said, taking her hands. "I want to be with you, always. A kiss is a symbol of affection. I wanted to show you exactly how much I want to be with you." Kain smiled at her, wanting to hold her close forever and ever, but she just looked up at him, confused.

"I don't know how to answer that," she said, looking away. "I'm… I just…"

Kain put his hand on her head. "You don't have to make up your mind right now. It's all right. You might not understand it now, but you will later. Just know that I'm always going to be here for you. That's all that matters."


	37. Chapter 36: Recognize

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: None at the moment, just keeping this here in case there are in the future.

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Thirty-six_

Canti managed to have a normal week after hearing Kain's confession. Life kept going as usual. She spent most of her free time practicing with her lance and reading, and there were quite a few times when Kain would come over to give her a sparring partner at about her size. It didn't take long for her to catch up to his ability. Cid was doing a lot more work for the Warriors of the Water, and he made a lot of calls on the Sphere. Canti had never noticed him being so distant before, but with what all she was doing, she didn't really think on it much. Every night, Canti slept deeply, dreaming about school and sparring, though one night she passed out again on Kain's shoulder on the family couch, and Cid let them both just stay there. It seemed like everything was falling into place, becoming normal.

One morning after Canti headed off to Garden, Cid went back to work on the Sphere. If he was going to learn more about his adventures outside the barrier, he was going to have to know more about the airships. He spent all day at the ship-yards working on the engines, but it had been a long time since he watched any launch from the yards. Everything was under constant maitenence, which made no sense whatsoever. One of the feedsites he'd read said something about there being a ship called the Highwind. The captain, the crew, and the missions this ship had gone on were not specified, but the fact was, it shared his family's name. If he had a ship back during the days of his being a pilot, then why didn't he remember it or its name? Wouldn't someone in the family remember having an airship? He dialed a number, hoping there would be a response.

The call was answered by a gentleman with long silver hair and battle scars all over his face. "Well, well. I haven't heard from you since your brother decided you needed a sabbatical. How are you holding up, there, Cid?"

"Setzer!" Cid lied with that big smile he had always used whenever he was trying to sweet talk someone into getting his way. "Man, I'm doing some work for the Warriors right now, and I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me. That is, if you've got the time."

"Oh, is it in regards to that monster you had to round up? I thought everyone had been interviewed about that…" Setzer said, pushing the hair out of his face.

"No, no, I need to ask you about something else."

"You've got me here. Better ask before I have to get on with something else."

"Right. Well. I was wondering if you know anything about the ship, the Highwind," Cid said sternly. "It went on missions to outside the barrier, right?"

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about, Cid," Setzer said. "If there was a ship with your family's name on it, don't you think your brother would know about it?"

"The moment I go looking for that information from him, I'm going to be questioned by higher ups."

"So you _aren't_ working for the Warriors."

Cid sighed. "Setzer. Do you have any information or not?"

"If you come looking for this kind of information from me, I'm going to have to report you, Cid," Setzer said, shaking his head. "Please. For the good of your daughter, you mustn't do this. I'm a gambling man, but I wouldn't take a chance on this."

"My brother said the same thing. I just want-"

"What ever it is that you want isn't worth it!" Setzer slammed down onto the control panel of his Sphere and it went off on Cid's end.

Cid knew he was on the right track. But there was simply no information he could gather at his current rank, and it bothered him. What was he going to do? Something was being covered up. Something about the outside, about the enemy, something… and the fact that the memories of his travels were taken right out of his mind, the same way Canti had her own memories extracted when he told her things he wasn't supposed to. Cid wasn't sure what to do now. He was pretty much barred from going back to work because of his brother's orders.

"Why would there be an airship with our family name on it?" He asked, looking up at the ceiling with a sense of hopelessness. _Where did it come from? Who was its pilot? What adventures did it go on?_ He wondered if there was a way to find the ships at all. He went back to the control panel and brought up a picture of the Highwind airship again. He got a good look at the propulsion system, and suddenly, it all made sense. The engine he'd been working on was the same size as that one! He gathered up his wallet, put on his coat, and snatched his spear just in case. After strapping the spear to his back, he headed out of the house and in the direction of the ship-yards. Cid Highwind was going to find out one way or another what was going on.

…

The school day had gone remarkably normal until it was time to Chorus to start. Mateus hadn't gone out of his way to give her any bother since she told him off the last time. Canti sat in her spot among the sopranos when the tardy bell went off.

"As promised," Starlet said as she stood in the center of the room next to her piano, "You will all begin your very first project." She was just beaming about it. "You will all gather into pairs and write a song together. The point of this is to find a harmony between your voices and to create an emotional response with it. We'll have a concert where all of you will sing the songs you've written together, and yes, that is a part of your final grade, too."

Canti cocked her head to the side. She raised her hand.

"Ah, yes, Miss Highwind?" The entire Chorus turned to looked at her in anticipation for her question.

"We have to partner up?" she asked.

"Yes. That's a part of the assignment. Finding a harmony between your voice and another's that you might not have expected, and turning that into something that will give the listener an emotional response," Starlet said with a nod. "Anything else?"

Next came Mateus' hand, and Canti just rolled her eyes.

"What is it, young man?" Professor Starlet asked.

"Does it matter what the song is about?"

"As long as you're able to get an emotional response out of your audience, no, it doesn't matter what the song's subject matter is," Starlet said. "Now, please. Partner up, if you would."

The class all shuffled about, and it was clear who was wanted by others. Canti watched many make pairs. Across the way, she could see that Mateus was also watching everyone else pass him by. And it was that moment that she knew without a doubt that they would be pairing up for this. It wasn't like they bothered making any other friends in the Chorus besides one another. There were some guys that were giving high-fives about partnering up, and a few girls who cheered loudly because they were going to do an assignment with their absolute best friends in the world. And Canti just walked through all those other pairs, staring at Mateus as she made her way to him. He also headed in her direction, meeting her halfway.

"All right," Starlet said proudly. "Until after the concert, this will be your one partner to work with on this project daily. You'll all be allowed time alone in the practice room, as it will be best not to preform your song here. We don't want the accusation of people stealing lyrics or some such nonsense that I've heard a million other times while running this particular class."

Mateus smiled at Canti, beaming at this whole situation. Now he'd finally get some time alone with her, as the class was demanding it! "I'm excited," he whispered, though his voice didn't sound particularly excited.

"It _is_ what you asked me for," she replied. "I hope it works for you."

He nodded. "It'll do just as well, since I know now that you'd rather just spend time by yourself than with others. I know we don't know each other that well, but this may correct that."

"You're right," she said. The two sat down next to her things once Mateus had gathered all of his things. They both pulled out a notebook and started writing down ideas to exchange with the other. The assignment was to sing something that would give the listener an emotional response, and Canti tried to think of what would give her an emotional response. She didn't look up from her notebook for a while, which her partner noticed.

Starlet then caught everyone's attention. "Now that you're all partnered up, I now have to give you a very stern warning. This assignment will try your patience. Even if you are best friends, you may have disagreements that are difficult to work out. You can not change partners. It would put you at a disadvantage to have to start completely over, and that would mean you'd also disrupt more students by having to change their projects as well. I won't have any of that." She pointed at a clipboard. "All of you will sign this sheet with your partner before you leave, and once you do, you will be partnered up until after the concert."

"Have you an idea?" he asked. "Do you know what kind of emotional response we're going for?"

"I think I do." They started to head over to the clipboard to give their signatures for this contract. Canti knew she wasn't going to be able to partner up with anyone else in class, so she might as well have been resigned to her fate.

"Do you?" Mateus was first. His signature was very intricate and fancy. Legible, but written in a way that looked like he went out of his way just to make it more pompous looking on purpose.

"Yeah. Last week, someone told me that… they loved me…" Canti's signature was incredibly curvy and cute, with a little heart looped over the letter I at the end of it.

Mateus couldn't believe what he was hearing. All ready getting confessions of love, and she wasn't even the type to go looking for it. He noticed that she didn't want to look up while talking about it, so she must have been embarrassed by it. "You want to respond to this confession with a song, don't you?" he asked, his voice smoother than usual. "I suppose I could also write lyrics about my own love dilemma."

"I don't really want to respond to who gave me the confession," Canti said, shaking her head. "I don't think I'm ready to be in a relationship."

"But you like this confessor, yes?"

"Not in the way you're thinking! I like him but…"

"Then how do you feel about the confessor? If you're confused, write a song about being confused," Mateus said. "How you're in a whirlwind, how you feel tossed about…" He pointed at her notebook. "Write it down. Anything can inspire you, so let it."

"I- I didn't know you were the creative type…" Canti said, looking back down at the notebook.

"I'm not the best at it, but I do make the attempt in my free time," he said gently, starting to write in his own book. "I can go with that. Being left confused. There was someone I used to be close with, but then suddenly it all stopped. I never understood why…"

She decided to put all her feeling down on paper about Kain, but she wasn't going to tell Mateus that her song was dedicated to him. How she liked him and how they've always been close, but since their relationship had gone from just being familial to being more than that, she wasn't sure how to feel about it. Canti was so into pouring her heart out that she didn't even notice when the bell rang.

"...hey," Mateus said, tapping her shoulder. "I know you hate being late, so you might want to get a move on."

"Ah! You're right," Canti said as she gathered up all her things. "Thank you."

"Any time at all," he said, bowing his head to her. He watched her run out and then walked out after her, always keeping his eyes on her. Mateus had a feeling that her father wasn't going to be happy about finding out they were working together. He couldn't imagine Canti trying to tell her father about it after what happened after she revealed he even spoke to her, and he'd heard Cid go off to his own father on top of that. He smiled. There was nothing that could be done about it. He hoped it wouldn't take too much to persuade Canti to give him more time, more effort, more of herself. He could have let out an evil cackle, but decided not to. At the very least, not now at Garden.


	38. Chapter 37: Rearbitrate

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: None at the moment, just keeping this here in case there are in the future.

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Thirty-seven_

Canti's time studying Mysidian with Minwu went smoothly. There wasn't anything weird to go over, and because the two of them had talked a little about the troubles that Minwu faced before, they had become much more understanding of one another. The bell rang to signal the end of the school day, and Canti ended up meeting all of her friends outside under the Garden's main foyer. She yawned loudly, but she was happy being surrounded by all of them at the end of the typical school day.

"Hey, I was thinking maybe we should all go to the theater," Hikari said. Tidus and Vivi instantly agreed to the idea.

Crystal nodded. "I'd like to go. Last time I went was almost a year ago."

Kain looked over at Canti to see what she said. If she was up for going, he'd probably throw a few gil at it for the chance to do something both away from the manor and with Canti away from school or either of their fathers. "I don't mind the idea," he said with a shrug.

Minwu shook his head. "I'm sorry. You know I cannot deviate from my schedule, as inviting as that sounds."

"I'd go, but I have an assignment," Canti said. "Homework for Chorus."

"Chorus gives homework?" Crystal asked. "How?"

Canti crossed her arms. "Chorus is for bards in training, and bards have to be able to use both their voices and sounds they make to cause different effects."

Hikari cocked her head to the side. "So you have to study that for a test or something?"

"Oh, no, no, I have a lot of that memorized now," she said, shrugging. "Nope. I have to write a song for our upcoming concert in a few weeks."

"You have a few weeks to complete this assignment though," Tidus said.

Kain didn't understand a single thing about bards or how anything they did in battle actually worked. He wasn't a musician, and while he sang to himself every now and then, he didn't really make that big a deal of it. He did notice that Canti prided herself on her ability to sing. She was taking the whole assignment very seriously. Perhaps even if she was accepted as a dragoon, she was going to go for a dual class? He didn't think it would be that handy in battle, at least, not as handy as the white magic she was learning in Magical Mastery. He put his hand on Canti's shoulder. "If you do not wish to go so you can focus on your homework, then in good conscience I can't go against that. Studying is of the utmost importance."

"That's not what you're supposed to say if you want to take her on a date," Hikari said quietly, leaning into Kain. "Because we all know you want to."

Kain blushed.

"Amuse him," Crystal said with a giggle. "Canti, if you have a few weeks to prepare for your concert, then you can spare a few hours at the most to make Kain happy."

"Why would we go on a date with all you voyeurs hanging about?" Kain asked.

"So we could see it, obviously," Hikari said. "I mean. Why else?"

"Forget it," Kain said, frowning. "You'd rather watch _us_ than watch the play."

"Yeah, because that's not acting. It's real. Makes it a whole lot more interesting," Crystal kept giggling.

"Because of people overhearing you lot, we're gonna have people starting rumors," Kain grunted. "I'm going to go on ahead. I believe you can see yourself home, Canti." He ran off and jumped out of sight, leaving Canti there to just stare at her gal pals.

"You two!" Canti said angrily at them. "I can't believe you…"

"I still wanna go to the theater."

"That's just fine, but I've lost interest," Canti said, walking on ahead of them. She headed in the direction of home, far beyond the steps of her friends very quickly. She wasn't even thinking of Kain at the time, but knowing that they had made him feel embarrassed like that only served to annoy her. She kept on walking until she found someone waiting there on the sidewalk for her.

This man didn't look familiar to her. She tried to avoid him, but he stepped in front of her. "Excuse me," he said. "I am from the Westside Orphanage, and I've come to speak with you."

Hearing the name of the orphanage she lived in before Cid adopted her sent fear down her spine. She tried to walk around him, but the man turned to face her completely, not allowing her to pass. "I'm going home," she said. "Because I have a home and a family now."

"Yes, I know you do," he reached for her arm. "I just want to ask you questions about what life is like for you, one year after being adopted."

"Except for you, everything is perfect," Canti said. As she tried to dart for the other side of the street, the stranger had grasped around her arm and held her still. "Let me go."

"Come with me…" he said, pulling her closer by the arm. "…I'm sure you remember me, don't you?"

"If I did, I wouldn't want to!" Canti's voice was louder, hoping someone would hear her. But then she remembered that her friends weren't taking the road home, they were headed to the theater. "Let me go!"

"You don't have to be afraid."

"I'm not! I'm mad that some stranger isn't letting me go home!" she was now shouting at him, pulling with all of her strength to get away from him. Canti wanted to reach for her spear, but the stranger kicked it out of her reach when he noticed she was trying to get it. It clattered on the ground and rolled a bit away from her. "Get off of me!"

"Hush…" the stranger said, putting a hand on her hip. She cringed. "…I'm not going to hurt you so long as you cooperate with me."

Canti stared down the road, hoping that Papa Cid would be headed home now from the ship-yards. If he was, he'd see this. He'd make it stop. This reminded her far too much of a nightmare she'd had, where the hands of someone went up her skirt. She felt tears form in her eyes. "Let me go!" she yelled as loudly as she could.

The stranger put a something over her eyes and while she struggled more to break away from him, he held her tighter still. She could tell she was being picked up right off the ground and carried away until…

"Stop right there," a voice said, though she couldn't tell if it was in front or behind where she was. "You will let the girl go, if you know what's good for you."

"I'm taking her with me."

"Wrong answer."

There was a click, and suddenly she could hear footsteps all around her. Had someone brought the authorities? The stranger dropped Canti right onto her tush, leaving her hurt and afraid as he turned around to run. She lied there on the sidewalk before whatever it was that blocked her vision was removed and she saw a group of men in uniform standing all around.

"Miss, are you all right?" one asked. All she could do was nod. "Who is your parental guardian? What is your name?" Canti didn't really have it in her to speak, so she reached into her purse and pulled out her identification card. It showed all sorts of information about who she was. The man who was nearest to her scanned the card with something that was on his wrist. "Do you know who that man was?" She shook her head. "We're not going to leave you home alone after such an incident. Your father can come get you to take you home." The man picked her up and wrapped her in a blanket. "We've sent an alert to his workplace. Don't worry, you're safe now."

Canti just cried. She hadn't ever been this confused before.

…

Cid hadn't been in the ship-yards for far too long. He missed working on the old engines, but now he didn't want to build or manufacture them. He wanted to know where they'd come from. Who'd built them? He went to one of the hangars far from the entrance, knowing that if he was caught out here that he was going to have some high-ranking people pelting him with questions about what he was doing out here. The old retired pilot found the engine he was looking for, though. It wasn't even covered up! He climbed onto a ladder to get higher up to examine it. How many times had Cid worked on this kind of engine? He didn't remember studying it at Garden, or reading any books about it, but he knew it. He knew every part, one piece at a time, in his mind. Like he built it himself. He never saw anyone else working on this type of engine. And every time an engine had been brought to his workstation, it was this exact engine, too.

"This is exactly the kind of engine that was in that picture," Cid said, leaning over it. "I know it was."

"...what are you doing in here?"

Cid looked down to see that Otto Bunansa was standing there, looking up at him with this expression on his face. "I'm coming to learn a bit about what I've been working on, and hopefully, a bit about myself. What are _you_ doing here?"

"I watched you come in here, even though you know this place is off-limits," Otto grunted. "But that's not important right now. What is-"

"Shut up, Otto. There's something I have to know," Cid said, climbing on top of the engine itself.

"There is a notification going off at your station-"

Cid put his hand up to shut him up. He was not going to fall for one of Otto's pranks again. He just kept looking until he found a particular piece that was connected to the propeller rotation pistons. He ran his fingers over it, knowing that he never worked with this particular piece since he came to work here, but he had seen it. The writing on it was none other than his own! "…I knew it! This is my invention!" he proclaimed. But he didn't remember actually inventing it. He didn't remember attaching it to a ship, even though he'd seen a finished model on the feedsite. The ship was called the Highwind, after all. It was his! It was his ship! He built it! That must mean that he was the mysterious pilot he'd been searching for!

Otto held a communication device in his hand. He held down a button as he spoke into it. "Yes. I've found him, sir… No, I've tried. You may want to come down yourself… yes, sir. Understood."

Cid came out of the engine and climbed down off of it via the ladder, landing on the floor. "Came to rat me out?" he asked.

"Not at all. But since you wouldn't listen to me before, I'm not going to tell you what's going on. I guess your daughter will have to suffer longer," Otto said with a shrug.

"My daughter?!" Cid growled, snatching Otto's collar. "What do you know of her suffering?!" He held the spindly mechanic up by his collar, damn near choking him.

"More than you do!" Otto said.

"Fucking Bunansas!" he yelled, tightening his grip. "Always gotta be-"

"Cid! Let him go!" the voice he heard now belonged to his boss, Setzer. Cid did as he was told, dropping Otto right onto the pavement. "Your brother insisted that you would be home on orders from the Warriors of the Water, but here I find you in an off limits hangar about to murder one of your coworkers… I don't understand what's gotten into you, but it may have something to do with your daughter. I understand she's gone through a lot."

"Why have you both brought up my daughter?" Cid asked.

"Otto followed you here to tell you that your workstation has been going off for a while now because of a parental alert given by the police. Turns out, your daughter was assaulted on her way home from Garden," Setzer said, crossing his arms.

"...Canti was…" Cid shook his head. "…assaulted?"

"Some boy from her school noticed the incident and called police to take care of the assailant, but the fact is that she's being taken care of in the police department. They've been searching for you everywhere. They've called me, they've called your brother, anyone that could get in contact with you," Setzer said again. "Get the hell out of here, forget all of whatever it was that you were doing, and go take care of your daughter!" He pointed at the door and Cid ran for it, jumping out of sight to get to the police station quicker than just going by foot.

"I can't believe that asshole," Otto grunted.

Setzer sighed. "It's time to take this one apart," he said. "Otto, get to it."

"What? _Me_? Shouldn't you have Cid do it?!"

"After what happened today, he won't be coming back to work here for quite a while," Setzer said. "I need all of this engine taken completely apart and melted down before he comes back looking for answers again. I do not want to send a request to Leviathan to clear his memory again, as he's been disconnected for a while, but we may have to."

"Yes, sir," Otto grunted again, climbing up to the top of the engine via the ladder.

…

When Cid made it to the police station, he found Richard standing there, ready to knock his brother's head clear off his shoulders. Cid was panting heavily, almost ready to faint. It was a long way to get here without transportation.

"Where have you been, Cid?" Richard asked. "You weren't at home resting, like I ordered you to. You weren't at work. You weren't even at your old favorite bar from our school days!" He crossed his arms, glaring at him. "I told you to focus on what was important and you've not listened to a single thing I've said!"

"Richard, please… I've been… looking into some things, and I found-"

"I don't care what you found. Your daughter. My niece. Our newest dragoon. Was assaulted today not just a few blocks away from your home!" Richard nearly screamed at him. "And witnesses say that her voice was loud. Had you been at home, you would have heard her." He was holding back tears. "You were the one telling everyone just how sensitive your daughter is, and here you were, not there for her!"

A door opened and Kain came in. "Father, Canti's awoken…" he said, turning to go back in. He looked sadder than either of the elder Highwind brothers. He blamed himself, because if he had gone with her, then there was no way this would have happened. He could have agreed to go to the theater with her girlfriends even if they were being stupid and silly, because then he could have protected her from whoever it was. He typically would walk her home, but he didn't want to deal with rumors of their relationship while at Garden during the day. Kain went to Canti's side. He knew that she was staring at him, and he wondered if she blamed him, too.

Cid and Richard came into the room where Canti had been lying on a cot. There was a police officer in the room with them, just making sure that she was only with family. She looked at her uncle, and she looked at her Papa Cid. Just like in her dream, when the hands of shadow touched her in ways that made her feel dirty and scared, when she needed him, he hadn't been there. Tears fell from her eyes, and as Cid stared into her blue hues, he broke down, too.

"You should have been there," Richard said angrily. "I ordered you to be at home, to rest! Ever since that Schizo appeared, you've not been the same, Cid." He shook his head, walking over to stand behind Kain. "As the head of the Highwind family and the Grand Dragoon of the Warriors of the Water, I decree that from now on, the two of you will live at Highwind Manor."

"What?" Cid asked. "No! I'm not living with you again!"

"Because you don't want to have to follow my orders," Richard said sternly. "But look at your daughter! You aren't doing your job, now are you?"

Cid looked at Canti again. Richard was right. He was so determined to get answers to his questions about the past that he'd forgotten to take care of the present, and this was the punishment the fates decided to give him.

Kain put his hand on Canti's forehead. "Have you told everyone here what's happened, cousin?" he asked her calmly.

"I… told the police," she whispered to him. "But most of the account came from… the boy that saw it… and saved me…"

"Who was it? I will have to give this young man a personal thank you," Richard said. "I will go to his parents myself to commend him! Keeping an eye out for you was a very responsible thing to do. Tell me who he was, Cantirena, and I will see him rewarded."

Canti took in a deep breath. "The boy that saved me was… Mateus Palamecia."


	39. Chapter 38: Redeclare

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: None at the moment, just keeping this here in case there are in the future.

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Thirty-eight_

Richard blinked for a moment as he processed what Canti just said. "The son of the senator?" he asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

Kain gripped her hands in his. How could _that_ guy be the one who kept Canti safe? "Why would he have been close enough to know what you were doing after school unless he was stalking you?!"

Canti pushed herself so she could sit up. "He and I have Chorus together, and what's more, we also have homework to do together," she explained. She didn't go into the fact that they basically chose each other to work with since there was literally no one else in the class that they knew well enough to work with. She sighed. "That project I told you about as we were leaving, Kain? Mateus is my partner. I imagine he wanted to work on it, so he was following me home, but at a distance because he knows you hate him and he didn't want to cross paths with you."

"...really?" Richard asked. "Perhaps I should have a word with your teacher about the questionable motives behind the Palamecian boy wanting to work with you. But first things first. Kain!"

The young dragoon stood at attention awaiting the Grand Dragoon's commands. It reminded Canti of someone in the police force or the Warriors of the Water as she saw it. "Yes, Father?"

"You can drive the chocobo carriage home, yes?"

"I can."

"Take Canti to the Manor. Have her stay in the same room she used this last weekend," Richard gave the order swiftly. "You are to protect your cousin. If anyone you do not know decides to corner the two of you, on my authority, you may strike them dead."

Kain nodded. "I understand."

"Good," Richard said, turning to his younger brother. Cid was in the middle of a breakdown, as he couldn't believe just how badly he let down his one and only baby girl. "As for you, come with me. We will finish filing a police report and make sure the rest of the community knows there's a prowler out there with a taste for children. This pervert will be caught before any more are put in danger!" He noticed that Cid wasn't moving but Kain was helping Canti stand on her feet, so he gave Cid a fierce punch to the back of his head. "Did you not hear me?!"

"I… I'm moving," Cid said, picking himself up off the floor. He ruffled Canti's hair, but she didn't reach out to him or anything. She just followed Kain as he led her slowly out of the room. "Let's get started on that, then."

…

Kain helped Canti climb into the chocobo-drawn carriage. "I'd like to have you sit up front with me, but I don't think anyone should see you right now," he said as she sat down in the carriage so no one would see her from outside the canopy.

"That's fine…" she whispered. "…I'd rather not be seen."

"Canti…" he said, using his hand to caress her face. "…just stay back here. If anyone approaches us, I'll do just like Father told me and strike them down myself."

"No, Kain, you shouldn't…"

"I will. It's my duty to protect you. An order from the Grand Dragoon. As I'm training to enter the Warriors of the Water, I'm going to uphold my duty," Kain said proudly. "And besides that, the fact that someone tried to take you away makes my very blood boil. I would love nothing more than to crush the skull of whoever it was that put their dirty hands on you." He quickly hugged around her, secured the door of the back of the carriage, and climbed up to the front so he could take the reigns of the chocobos. "I don't care who they were. If you don't want their hands on you, then they have no right to touch you."

"...what if… I told you… I didn't want your hands on me?"

Kain was shocked to hear such a proposition. "If you were to tell me that, then I would abstain from touching you, obviously. I would be sad to hear it, but I would do ask you asked." He turned back to look at her. "Does my touch discomfort you?"

She looked back up at him, letting the cushion of the seat support the full weight of her back. "No, Kain. I was just curious. That's all."

Kain threw down the reigns to get the chocobos moving. With a _"hi-yaa!"_ they were headed for the wealthier side of Dagurreo. "Please don't make me worry like that…"

Canti just let out a tiny little giggle. "Where would I be without you always looking after me?"

"In an unhappier state, I think," Kain said. "To be honest, I couldn't tell you how you'd feel without me around. I just know that I'm happier for having you in my life."

…

Mateus had a long day after speaking to the police about that terrible man trying to make off with his Chorus partner and future wife. He had to witness to different police, all telling the exact same story, keeping all of his details straight. But he knew that by doing that, the Highwind family would feel as if they were in his debt. It was a far cry from the family accepting a marriage proposal. He would have to spend more time with her, to gain her affection, before that would even be possible, but after an incident like this, he was confident that she would be willing to give him more time. He came home to his lavishly huge mansion in the north district, far from most other estates of this size, as the house was also the home offices of the one and only monster farm located within their fair country. The Palamecian Monster Farm was one of the vital places for this country's function, which made his father not only one of the most influential people in the senate, but one of the the most wealthy men to walk the cobblestone streets.

"Ah, my dear son," came the voice of his father. "I'd begun to worry… where have you been this whole time?"

"I was at the police station, working on the one thing I want more than any other," Mateus answered just as coldly as his father spoke. "If I am to have this, I am going to have to earn it. And everyone that's ever listened to one of your speeches knows how much you treasure something like hard work." He smiled as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was a sexy beast and he knew it. There were adult women clamoring for a chance to speak with a man born with so much power, but he didn't want a trophy wife. He didn't want some woman who would spend all of his family's money or try to manipulate his power into her power for selfish gains, either. Such would ruin the legacy of the Palamecian name! No, what he wanted was someone to give him heirs of power, someone that would do as she was bid with the proper training. He turned to give that same smug, satisfied smile to his father. He was beautiful and commanded the most powerful of black magic, and he knew he was fit to rule not just this tiny little country hiding behind its little barrier. He knew he was fit to rule everything as an Emperor. Mateus had seen it in his dreams, and the one who was at his side in those very dreams since the day he laid eyes on her was none other than Cantirena Highwind.

"I will not deny the virtue of hard work," Senator Matteo said as he approached his son. "This means what you chase is something you truly desire."

"It is."

"I'm glad to hear that my son, who has not wanted for anything his entire life, actually finds something worth working for," Matteo said proudly. "All men want something. Its what motivates us." His expressions were all perfectly crafted to fool a populace he was addressing, be it of senators or the destitute, but Mateus could see through those falsities easily. He had learned to over the years, having to live with a man who didn't know how to portray feelings in a genuine manner. "Tell me, Mateus, is there anything I can do to help you with this effort? I only wish for my one beloved heir to be happy after my eventual passing."

"Oh, Father," Mateus said. "I have it all under control. Your underling sufficed well enough. This will only get me another chance to make an impression. Having her family in my debt will work more than splendidly." He gazed upward to see the chandelier that hung overhead, mentally comparing it to the one that hung within the Highwind Manor. He couldn't tell well enough if it were bigger than that one, and he instantly wanted a bigger one just to reassure himself that this one was indeed bigger. "To make her love me is the one thing I desire more than anything else. She will be able to give me the support I need to raise our family name to a much higher standard."

"Hmm. These things are not instant. They take time, and I'm sure that your little songbird has plenty of admirers."

"Mmm. I am aware I have rivals, but I do not intend to lose her. She is the key to the greatest future our family name can bear, Father."

"Our family has an amazing legacy."

"I do not want a legacy. I want a _dynasty_."

Matteo stared at his son for a moment. How could he want more power? There was no more power to be had. Leviathan ruled this country from the ground up. Sure, there were the senators, but ultimately, all they did was gather what the people of the country wanted to be voted on and presented it to Leviathan. They did no actual decision making themselves. "I- I see…"


	40. Chapter 39: Reisolate

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: None at the moment, just keeping this here in case there are in the future.

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Thirty-nine_

Leviathan was sitting at his desk when an urgently marked file folder was brought to his desk. The person who delivered it worked for the police department, as he wore the same uniform the rest of them did. He left just as quickly as he went in, and the Eidolon snatched up the file to see what was in it. He read over the report of how one particular little girl that had been entrusted to his care had nearly been snatched up by some pervert, which made him feel nothing but rage. He could have crushed everything in this miserable little country under the powers of his Tsunami right then and there, but he didn't want to have to deal with his mother's wrath for having destroyed all of their hope of fighting off the Ardent that had gnawed its way through a few realms by now and was starting to absorb even places beyond the flow of history. He paced back and forth. He wondered if he should extract more memories from her, but then he remembered that even if he extracted the memories, her body would still remember. There was only so much time to rebuild her psyche and prepare for the eventual battle, and the people in this place were only going against him. Leviathan decided it was time to hunt down this pervert with all of his fervor.

He sat down at his desk and pressed a button to call in his secretary. "Betsy, be a dear and come in here please," he said as sweetly as an enraged demigod could manage.

It took a few moments, but here she came. This tiny little woman with white frizzy hair, wearing a pair of beaded glasses that almost hung off the tip of her nose. "How can I help you, sir?" Her voice sounded as if she was constantly speaking out of her nose.

"Garden is closed until we find the pervert trying to make off with our children. All of the children from fifth year and below are now not to leave their homes unless accompanied by their guardians. This man will be caught so no more children will be in danger," Leviathan said sternly. "You will deliver these messages and make sure they are broadcast every hour on the hour on every station on the Sphere to make sure our entire population is aware of this. With all of the adults keeping the younglings safe, our MPs and the Warriors of the Water will hunt down this refuse…" He crossed his arms. "Tonight for the evening news, I personally will make a statement. Tell everyone in Dagurreo!"

"Yes, sir," Betsy had jotted all of that down onto a steno pad, and now she took her tiny little steps getting back to her desk to give the executive orders.

Leviathan looked at himself in the mirror. He was going to have to change if he was going to address the public.

…

Crystal and Hikari had gone to see the play as they said they would, and until they had left the theater, they had no clue as to what was going on outside. Every child was being stopped if they were alone. There were military police and Warriors of the Water almost everywhere around the town center. Soon they were stopped by the authorities, too.

"Identification cards, girls," the man said. It wasn't a demand, but he was stern about it. They both got out their cards and presented them to him. "Ah. All right. One of my men will accompany you home. Do not make any extra stops."

"What's going on? We've always been allowed to walk freely before," Hikari said, really confused as to what was going on.

"Executive orders for the protection of all children from the fifth year and younger," the policeman stated. "There was an incident where a young girl was on her way home alone and some man tried to accost her. Until this criminal is found, all children must go home and remain there to be as safe as possible."

"Someone tried to kidnap a girl?" Crystal asked. "Whoa. I didn't think bad things like that ever happened in Dagurreo."

"According to our records, it is a first," the policeman added. "The poor girl was in shock for a while, but she seems like she will make a full recovery. In the meantime, the man who tried to take her is still at large." He smiled at the two in an attempt to offer them comfort until another policeman came around to escort them home. "Go on to your homes."

Both girls walked alongside the policeman that was told to escort them in the direction of Junon St, which is where both of them lived.

"I can't help but worry," Hikari mumbled. "I feel really bad about the fact that someone - a girl - had been affected by this."

As they came around the corner, they noticed something there on the sidewalk. Crystal knew she'd seen it somewhere before. It took a few moments before she realized what it was. "That's… that's Canti's hairpin," she said, bending down to pick it up.

"You must leave that," the policeman said. "It's a part of the evidence from the incident."

"But this hairpin belongs to our best friend!" Crystal said. There was no doubt. It was a silver crescent moon. Canti was known for wearing it above her left ear like she did all of her other cute little hairpins.

"I think that's the one Kain got for her…" Hikari looked at it carefully, too. "…she has a lot of hairpins, but I'm pretty sure that's the one Kain gave her last week at lunchtime."

"Oh man, you're right…" Crystal agreed.

The policeman took it from Crystal's hand, placing it back on the ground. "I don't care if you know the victim personally, rules are rules."

"That means that Canti's the one?!"

"I can't discuss any of this with you," the policeman said, and both girls fell silent for the rest of the walk. Crystal was taken home first, and before she went inside, she stopped to look over at the tiny little house that Canti and Cid Highwind lived in. Hikari stared at it on her way out of the Tobul family yard, wondering if their teasing is what led to this terrible event. It didn't take long before Hikari was home, too. She felt awful and wondered if there was anything she could do to make the situation any better.

Hikari's first idea was to call Canti's house number on the Sphere. She keyed in the number and made a call, but didn't get a response. Then, she reached into her pocket to pull out a paper of Sphere numbers for other friends and found Kain's on the list. She made the call there, but no one answered.

"...well _now_ what do we do?" she asked, looking at the black screen that awaited another number to be keyed in. Her father wasn't home yet. She couldn't ask anyone what was going on. Hikari just spun around on the chair a few times before deciding to go up to her room and lock the door, just in case that pervert managed to break into their house.

…

Canti and Kain sat at the kitchen with the Sphere on while they munched on whatever they found in the Highwind Manor's incredibly huge kitchen. They were rather quiet while eating, but both mentally wondered where their fathers were. Canti ate a bowl of leftover pasta, slowly curling up her noodles on her fork before taking each bite. She wasn't incredibly hungry, but she forced something down anyway, otherwise someone in the family was going to start being a nag about taking care of herself, and she really didn't want to hear it.

"Where is Father?" Kain asked, finally breaking their silence. "Night has all ready fallen…"

Suddenly, the Sphere began to ring. Canti was so shocked she almost choked on her noodles. Kain rushed over there to answer it, as both his parents were not there to take the call.

"Highwind Residence," Kain said, pressing the button to see the caller.

"You've arrived safely, I take it." It was Richard. "Good. Remain on high alert. Leviathan has issued executive orders. We're all combing the entire country looking for the pervert that attacked Cantirena. No child under year five at Garden is allowed to be outside of the house without a guardian. The two of you must stay inside at all times until Cid and I return."

"Father," Kain nodded. "If I may ask, where is Mother?"

"She is on one of her routine visits to Fisherman's Horizon. She will not be home for a while. You know how that is."

"...yes, sir, I do…" Kain replied.

"Protect your cousin with the utmost of your ability, son," Richard said. "I have every faith in you."

"I'll do everything I can."

"That's my boy. You do your rank and your family proud."

The screen flickered off, and Kain turned around to see Canti just staring at him while she continued to eat. "They're gonna get that pervert who tried to take you," Kain said, sitting back down next to her. "Father and Uncle Cid and the rest of the Warriors are going to hunt him down and make him pay for what he did."

She just kept eating.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm going to be right here with you. And there's not a single person that can break into the Highwind Manor."

Canti looked up from her pasta. "Ffamran did."

Kain frowned at her. "Oh, all right, fine. That Bunansa idiot managed to get through."

"Kain. Nothing is… nothing can protect anyone perfectly… there's always some risk, no matter how safe you think you are," she felt her morale sink. She could have easily melted into a puddle of goo with how much confidence she had in herself at that moment. "I wanted to fight him off, but he kicked my spear out of reach. Even though I can fight, I didn't have the opportunity to protect myself, and I was too terrified to even think of casting magic."

"It's not your fault," Kain said. "You can't blame yourself because there's evil in this world."

"But I couldn't do anything."

"You get assaulted by some guy and you blame yourself?" Kain grunted. "It's not your fault." He reached to his his hand on her shoulder. "Honestly, it's my fault more than yours."

"What?"

"Your girlfriends were being stupid and silly. If I had agreed to go to the theater, or maybe if I had just walked you home instead of jumping off like I did…" Kain shook his head. "…I could have protected you. And I would have."

She put her hand over his. "It's not your fault, either."

"I'm sorry I left you. I'm sorry I didn't stay with you, like I normally do," he said. "I don't care how much your friends tease me, I won't let them get to me. I promise!"

"You weren't the only one annoyed by it," Canti said. "I stomped off away from them because they made you angry like that." She put her fork down and reached to hug around Kain. "I wanted that walk with you and I was mad they took it from me."

Kain squeezed her to him. "Never again."

"Though I'm sure those two didn't mean to be mean about it. I've overheard a lot of girls in my classes, they're like that about relationships," Canti said. "I think it's some… thing girls do?"

"Boys aren't much better…" he said. "…but our classmates, they're… they don't think like we do. I always got that feeling. They don't see the world the way I do. I think about what I'm going to do with my life even if most boys my age are doing nothing but… goofing off. Perhaps in reality I am much older than this body."

"I feel like that all the time, too," she said, leaning into him.

"At least you know that you aren't alone in that, right?"

"Yeah!"

They held each other for a while, just enjoying each other's warmth and company. The maids came to pick up all the dirty dishes, and after there was a large _goooooooon~g_ that sounded through the house, the screen of the Sphere came on without being prompted.

"Fellow citizens."

Canti immediately pulled away from Kain. "It's the headmaster's voice…" she said. "…this might be important. Remember, Uncle Richard spoke of there being executive orders."

"It's probably pertaining to the current law about children not being out."

The pair turned to watch the Sphere's screen, which showed Leviathan standing there at a podium. Neither of the cousins knew where that podium was, so it was impossible to figure where the headmaster was speaking from. "I am sure you have noticed the increased security going about our fair country today. I wish to address you all on this matter." Leviathan looked straight into the camera, which made it look like he was looking directly at all of his audience. "There was a vile act committed today. On Junon Street, a man tried to kidnap a child who was coming home from the Dagurreo Garden Academy. As you well know, the safety of our children is of the absolute most importance for this entire community. The Garden will be closed and all children will remain in their homes until the perpetrator is apprehended. The military police, as well as our Warriors of the Water, will be working nonstop until this man is found and brought to justice. We will not have any of our children be terrorized. Until we find the one guilty, please be patient and await further instruction. Sleep well, knowing we are doing all we can to protect you and your children." The screen went black again the moment the message was over.

"How is that supposed to make anyone feel safer?" Canti asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well. They make an announcement telling everyone that someone was almost kidnapped, and then they say 'this guy is still out there so you should just hide away from him'," she explained. "To the point of shutting down all of Garden. Now if that guy wants to find… me… all he has to do is look in a house. That puts everyone at risk!"

"Did that guy know you?" Kain asked.

"I think he does. He mentioned the orphanage I was raised in before Papa Cid adopted me…"

"That means he probably knows you're a Highwind."

"And he got me on my way home, so he knows I live on Junon Street."

"...that's why Father had me bring you here," Kain said, gripping her tighter. "Come on, let's get you ready for bed. You'll borrow my pajamas again, since none of your things are here."

Kain offered to carry Canti, but she refused. Instead he took her to the same room she used the night after her ceremony and handed her some pajamas to change into. He stood right outside the door to wait for her to finish. It didn't take her too long before she opened the door again.

"Okay. I'm all changed."

"I should do the same," Kain said, turning around to look at her. "I'll be trying to sleep… you should try to sleep, too."

She nodded, and as he turned around, she said, "Wait, Kain."

"Yes?"

"I… I don't… want… to be alone…" she said. "Please… will you… stay with me?"

"Oh, sure, of course. I'll be right back. Let me change." He didn't want her to see it, but as he walked back to his room, he blushed. It wasn't too far. The change was quick. And then he walked back to her room, still fully armed with his spear just in case they needed it.

Canti climbed onto the extremely fluffy bed and crawled to about the center, and Kain followed her up there, leaving the spear against the wall nearby. He sat there with her, putting his arm around her back, and they sat there together in nothing but candlelight. After a bit, she leaned into him, and he laid her down, still holding onto her.

"Kain."

"Yes?"

"I might… wake up scared…"

"And I'll be right here."

"I don't want to dream about it."

"I don't know the first thing about telling you how to avoid a bad dream," Kain said, "but I will suggest that doing your best not to think about it might help somewhat?" He sounded unsure of himself, which was the opposite of what he wanted in that moment. Clearly she was looking to him for some comfort, and he really didn't know how to give it. But if he wanted to be with her forever, like he told her many times before, he was going to have to learn the art of comforting the one he was taking care of. "If it helps you relax enough to sleep, then just… think about this moment here. We're alone here in our own little world, far from everything that scares us. Nothing can come here but the two of us."

Her eyelids were growing heavy, and he could see it. "Just the two of us," she repeated it sleepily.

"Right. Just you and me. Safe and warm. Hidden from all evil."

Canti's body sank into the bed that supported her, and Kain watched her fall asleep completely. He waited for a while before getting up off the bed as he was afraid of waking her once she managed to fall into a deep enough sleep. Not sure of what else to do, he went back to his room and got out the Moogle Flute he'd had stashed in his closet. Going back to her room, he sat with a candle, a stack of paper, and writing utensils. Because he was going to be protecting her, he wasn't going to sleep. He furiously wrote a passionate letter to Minwu to detail absolutely everything that happened that afternoon, and because he had some apologizing to do, he wrote a letter to both Hikari and Crystal. And, since he was the one who saved her, he begrudgingly wrote Mateus Palamecia a thank you letter.


	41. Chapter 40: Rebellion

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: We made it to chapter 40?! *horrified gasp* Better buckle up, I'm not planning on stopping any time soon. Not that anyone is actually reading this, of course. If you do, give a review so I know you're there!

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Forty_

Cid pulled on his uniform. He didn't like wearing it, but it was his duty. The armor was never comfortable no matter how many times he had it cleaned. He pulled the dragon-head like helmet over his head and secured the mask in front of his face. When he grabbed his spear, he couldn't stop the echoes of his daughter's voice resounding through his memory. Seeing her the way she was after that assault attempt, how she couldn't even look at him, just ate through him. He placed his spear into his holster, feeling Canti's burden weigh him down. He was so preoccupied with the past that he'd forgotten to take care of the present.

"Captain," Richard said, sticking his head into the changing room.

"Grand Dragoon, sir!"

"Are you fit to participate in this search?"

"I am," Cid said, giving a salute. "I have faltered recently, but I know the price of such falter. Allow me to assist with apprehending this criminal."

"Understood." Richard said, stepping away.

He let Cid come out and the two of them walked through the Warriors of the Water command center. There were whole platoons of the men lined up, standing at attention, waiting for their orders. The captain of each platoon were going over orders, and everyone stopped both Cid and Richard for reminders of each platoon's current orders. The Grand Dragoon himself was a well decorated veteran, having slain many monsters and helped with other official decrees from Leviathan's desk. And he was proud of all he had done in the name of keeping the country safe.

"According to the witness testimony and the victim's account of what happened, the perpetrator was a man wearing a black cloak. He had a long, pimply nose, but most of his face was obscured by a hood. This man is apparently as short as the victim, and heavyset," Richard read out from a report he'd been handed by another man. "Does anyone here know any man that fits a description of being short, heavyset, with a long pimply nose?"

Cid thought about it for a moment. He'd seen someone like that recently. They called on the Sphere. "I've seen someone like that," he said. "This man called on the Sphere to my home."

"Did he?" Richard asked. "We will have to go through all the calls made on your Sphere to gather more information, then."

"Do it," Cid nodded. "Anything to catch him and make him pay for what he's done."

"I have to agree with you on that," Richard smiled as he headed towards his desk. He sat down and flipped the console built into his desk on, entering several passwords and changing a few values here and there. The program that allowed him to oversee calls made on the Sphere system required more authority to access than most people had, but Richard was the highest ranking military official in all of the country. He went through the calls made from up to a week ago, not listening to every detail, but looking at the one the conversation was being held with. Eventually he came to the call that Cid mentioned. "This guy. That's the one, right?"

"That's the one I'm talking about."

"I wonder if it's possible to get either the witness or the victim to confirm if this is him," Richard thought aloud. He looked at the time. He had hoped that both of the children at his home would be in bed by now. "If so, we can just cross reference him within the Dagurreo Database."

"I know for certain my daughter is not awake at this time," Cid said. "However, knowing how serious Kain is about his duty… he probably isn't asleep."

"Kain could wake her, but I don't think he would."

"What of the Palamecian boy?"

"I don't know them well enough to say if this would be disturbing them…" Richard grunted.

"I don't _care_ if it is disturbing them," Cid said sternly. "Make the call."

Richard flipped through the files for the contact information for the Palamecian Estate. He knew that they were going to need someone to confirm something before they started the search. Cid's haste was understandable. He dialed the number and put it through to display at the Sphere apparatus built into his desk.

…

Mateus loved the night. It was the time of day when he was the most comfortable. Most people were asleep, so they couldn't snoop into what he was doing or ask billions of annoying questions. Since he was now restricted to his overwhelmingly huge mansion due to the executive order, and Garden would be closed until all of this was resolved, now he could stay up as late as he wanted. His favorite place to sit and think out all of his dreams was the study, which was full of books all the way up to the ceiling. His father had made this place into a library dedicated to nothing other than just amassing information that might be useful at any given time. The black mage in training climbed up the ladder to pull down a few chosen texts before coming back down to sit in the chair he loved so much that he christened it his personal throne. He put the books on the nearby table and brought his coil oil lamp closer to his chair. The book he cracked open, titled _Interpretations of Dreams and Daydreams,_ would serve his purpose quite nicely. He'd all ready read a few other books on dreams and their meanings, and he'd been compiling a notebook of all the details he could figure out based on all of his research thus far.

As he started on the first chapter of his book, there was a rapping nose at his window. Mateus looked at it, confused, as it sounded something like the branches of trees being blown about by a storm and being knocked against the window. It wasn't raining tonight, was it? It would be a shame to not take notice of that, as he liked the smell of freshly fallen rain. He didn't hear it, but why let the chance pass him by? He got out of his chair to open the window, only to find that it wasn't raining, but a moogle fluttered there with a letter in its tiny little paws.

"Mognet, kupo. Delivery for one Mateus Palamecia." The moogle dropped the letter into his hands and floated off without another word.

Mateus stared at it. He remembered having given a Moogle Flute to the Highwind Family to give to Cantirena as a gift for her successful ceremony. Perhaps she all ready knew what it was and put it to use? He carried the letter back to his seat, using his long fingernail to rip the envelope open.

 _Mateus,  
I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I'll never forget what you have done today. Who knows what could have happened to my cousin had you not stepped in. I pride myself in my ability to watch over her, or rather, I did take pride in it until now._

 _Thank you._

 _-Kain Highwind_

He couldn't keep himself from laughing. Oh, how delicious. Kain, of all people, thanking him? For being there to look after his cousin? The fact that Kain now had his doubts in his ability to take care of his cousin was only the icing on the cake! He didn't think this scheme would go so well. Mateus reached into the desk drawer to pull out his family's own Moogle Flute to write a reply. He might as well, since he was awake anyway.

But before he could get started on that, a maid came to the door of the study. "Forgive me, young master," she said. "You have a call on the Sphere."

"This late?" Mateus asked. "Tell them to call at a reasonable hour."

"I cannot do that. It is the Grand Dragoon on the line."

"Is that so?" he folded up the letter neatly and placed it into his robe pocket, heading out towards the main hall of the mansion to check the Sphere. When he pressed the button to receive the call, Richard Highwind appeared on screen, though he was wearing his complete Dragon Armor that covered most of his human facial features with ones that resembled a dragon's. "I am Mateus Palamecia. This better be important to call this late at night."

"Forgive my intrusion, but because you are the main witness to this case, I must ask you a final question," Richard said. His voice was calm, yet stern.

"Go right ahead."

"I'm going to show you a picture we believe is the suspect." Richard clicked a few things to make a picture of the man who called himself Borghen during the call with Cid. "Does this look like the man you saw this afternoon?"

"Oh! That man does indeed look familiar," Mateus said with a nod. "While he was wearing a hooded cape during the incident, I can tell you that is somewhat what the man looks like…"

"That's all I needed. We will issue a warrant for this Borghen and begin the search."

"Good luck…" Mateus bowed his head a little. "If I may inquire, Sir Grand Dragoon?"

"Yes?"

"How is my classmate? She seemed quite out of it last I saw her."

"She is handling it as well as she can," Richard answered. "Do be aware of the orders given by Leviathan because of this. Please stay inside and be aware of any strange activity."

"I will do just that…" Mateus said. "…thank you for all you and your men do for us."

"Thank you for all you and your family do for our country." Richard hung up, and Mateus sighed as he turned from the Sphere. He rubbed his temples. This was going to be such a headache to deal with. If things didn't result in his dear songbird loving him, he might just begin to murder people out of frustration at this point.

He walked away from it, and instead of going back to his study, he headed down a set of stairs to the basement. In the room the furthest away from the stairs, he found Borghen standing there. "You're the man of the hour," Mateus said. "Not only does my first love grant me a thank you letter for all that's transpired for the day, but the entire government has shut down Garden to prevent you from getting a hand on any other children."

"Sir, you aren't going to throw me to the wolves, are you? Not after all I've done for you," Borghen said, almost whimpering.

"No. Of course not, Borghen. You have more to do."

"I do?!"

Mateus nodded. "I want her successfully kidnapped. Not harmed, just terrified beyond anything she's ever felt before…"

"I'm not sure that's a great idea, young master," Borghen said, scratching the back of his head.

"I don't care what you think. You'll find Cantirena and you'll bring her to this place," Mateus wrote down a few details on a slip of paper and passed it to him. "Do not get caught. I had to identify your face, though I did not give any name or personal details."

"Where would she be now?!"

"She has two homes. Check them both. If she isn't there, then get in touch. We'll track down other places she could be," Mateus gave him a glare. "Get out of my house."

Borghen didn't really seem like he wanted to go through with this, but he wasn't given a choice. He made his way quickly out into the night and darted off into the brush.

Mateus climbed back up the stairs and headed to the study. "Don't be afraid, Cantirena. Your savior is coming for you," he smiled. He sat down to finally write that letter. It had been so long since Kain had given him any positive affection. After he thought about it a while, he wondered if there was away he could have both of the Highwind cousins to himself? They would both make lovely little toys.

…

Hikari sat on her bed, reading a textbook about the complexities of time magic. She was restless as she was worried about her closest friend. As she turned the page to open a diagram about the process of converting magic into something that could change the flow of time, she thought she heard something outside. She wondered if it was raining, because she couldn't hear the rain on the roof of her house. She climbed off her bed and went over to the window, where she saw something across the street.

"That's Canti's house…" she whispered, squinting her eyes. The streetlights weren't enough to see what was going on, but she could tell that something out there was moving around very fast. She wanted to scream out, but instead of being heard, she ran down the stairs to see her father was sitting at the table waiting for an announcement from the Sphere. "Dad!" she said in a loud whisper. "There's something out there!"

"What?" Auron looked up at her. "What did you see?"

"It's so dark that I couldn't make out what it was. But I know there's something outside. Across the street. At Canti's house!"

"Perhaps Cid has finally brought her home…" Auron suggested.

"I don't think that's it," she said, shaking her head. "It was loud. Like. Crashing."

Auron's eyes widened. "Hikari. Go back up to your room. Do not come out until I come to tell you I've returned." He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I will investigate."

She obeyed, but she couldn't help but be scared for him. She closed the room and locked the door, keeping a view of the window, but doing her best to stay out of sight from anyone that could be out there. Hikari saw the shadow of Auron at the edge of their yard. There were yells, but she couldn't make out what there were. She saw him draw his sword. The shadow of whatever or whoever it was darted off, and Auron ran at him to the edge of their property before coming back in. She shook there, backing away from the window, not knowing what to make of this situation.

As she turned away, waiting for Auron to come back up, there was a sound at the window again. Hikari jumped almost ten feet before reaching for her katana and ready to fight whatever it was that had come for her. But what she found was just a moogle holding a letter.

"Mognet, kupo! Delivery for Hikari Murasaki!" the moogle said.

Hikari just stared at it.

"Mognet, kupo! Delivery for Hikari Murasaki!" it said again, this time more urgently. "Take your letter, kupo!"

"You came at the worst time ever," Hikari said, taking the letter from the moogle. "I thought you were some… never mind. Thank you for the letter…" She watched the moogle float away and put the letter on her desk. She still waited for Auron to come back to tell her things were safe, but he wasn't coming. She frowned. What did he see?! She slowly made her way to the door to see if she could hear anything.

Auron's voice was speaking, but he wasn't speaking to her. "I'm calling to report a break in at a house across the street from my own. The Highwind family live there. Yes. We're on Junon Street."

"So it was some sort of burglar…" Hikari whispered, going to sit back down at her bed. "…what's going on?! What's happened to our peaceful little country…?"


	42. Chapter 41: Reason

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: If you're reading, let me know you are. If you're not, continue doing what you're doing. *salutes both readers and non-readers alike*

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Forty-one_

Kain looked up from the desk where he'd been writing the letters. Canti had made a few noises in her sleep, but she was still sleeping very soundly. He didn't know how much time had passed since he started writing letters, as there wasn't a time-piece in the room, but he was feeling incredibly tired now. He didn't like staying up all night. It wasn't something he was accustomed to. He walked over to look at her. Her breathing was even, though she slept in this weird sideways position curled around a pillow with the blanket between her legs. He didn't want to leave her alone. He didn't want her to wake up scared. So he placed everything on the desk nicely and blew out one of the candles. The room became that much more dark. Kain yawned loudly. Everything seemed perfect enough to fall asleep.

As he got up, he heard some _skritchy-scratch_ at the window. He grabbed his spear and walked over to it, totally not expecting the moogle he found flapping his wings there.

"Mognet, kupo! Delivery for Kain Highwind!"

Kain had never gotten a reply before. Who could have sent him a message? He took the letter, not even paying attention to the moogle that carried it. He pulled it open.

 _To my darling Kain,_

He immediately knew who wrote that. The handwriting was unmistakable. He hadn't looked at Mateus' handwriting since that unfortunate trip to summer camp, where they passed all sorts of notes back and forth. It was nicer looking than when they were younger, but no one went out of their way that much to make their handwriting look more pompous on purpose other than the son of the oh-so-great Senator Palamecia.

 _I only did what I had to do. Your cousin is precious, and it would destroy me to see something happen to her, especially if I could prevent it. So cute, I could just eat her up._

 _I never thought that you of all people would be sending me letters again. My heart is all aflutter over this! It's just like summer camp all over again… tell me your secrets, the way you did then. I would love to hear the inner workings of your heart once again~ I'm always listening for you~_

 _Love always,_

 _-Mateus_

Kain grunted as he rolled up the letter and tossed it at the desk. That guy proclaiming love? How could he dare do something like that? Kain was painfully aware of the fact that Mateus didn't love a single thing and saw everything as something to use for his advantage. He was certain beyond all doubts that it wasn't just him that Mateus wanted to use. Clearly he had his eyes on Canti for whatever reason, and Kain wasn't going to have that. He simply just wasn't going to put up with that.

Kain yawned again, even more tired now after reading that insipid letter. He wasn't going to give that an answer, so he decided to finally go lay down. He climbed up onto the bed as easily as he could as to not wake Canti. She murmured a little in her sleep, but she seemed like she was still in a deep sleep. As he laid down, she rolled closer to him instinctively.

"Mmm…" she groaned. "…don't eat my cake…"

He just stared at her. "What cake?"

"...don't eat it… that's my…" she yawned. "…cake."

"I don't want your cake," he said, wondering why he was having a conversation with her while she was still dreaming. He shook his head, pulling a part of the blanket over himself.

Kain lay there for a while. He was tired but he wasn't able to fall asleep. His muscles ached, crying out for rest. His mind just couldn't manage to settle down. All sorts of possibilities were running through his mind at a million miles an hour. He couldn't help but wonder if this is what the future would be like, with Canti curled up to sleep next to him. When they would be older, they'd be closer. He smiled, thinking of that. It gave him comfort. Kain hoped that he dreamed about her, of those days in the future, when their naked skins could rub against each other to express their deep affection. His eyes closed slowly as he watched her sleep in the dim candlelight. Eventually, his breathing grew deeper and deeper, until he had finally joined her in dreamland.

…

Richard had full command of the Warriors of the Water, and they had begun canvassing one area of Dagurreo to search for the criminal at large. The sun was just breaking out, the first few rays of sun streaking across the eastern sky. They were going through every bush, every tree, every building that wasn't a private home. It was a manhunt unlike any this country had ever seen.

Soon a man wearing an MP uniform came running up to him. "Sir! We have a new lead!"

Richard turned to look at the young man. "Very well. Let me hear of it."

"A few hours ago, there was a burglar spotted on Junon Street that fits the description of the suspect," the MP said. "Because of the exact location, I thought you'd want to know about it."

"Junon Street," Richard repeated.

"Sir. The Highwind residence."

Richard's eyes widened. "This is certain?"

"The bodyguard of Senator Braska reported it in the moment it happened," the MP continued. "We figured you might want to send a platoon in that direction to investigate further."

He knew the worst person to send to investigate this would be Cid, because this would only serve to make his blood boil. It would send his brother into a fit of rage. Richard gave the MP a nod and told him to get back to his post now that the message was delivered, and he decided that he himself would take a look at it himself. He left his second in command in charge and jumped out of sight without telling anyone else about it, in case they would go and tell Cid. The Grand Dragoon feared the worst. He knew that Kain had taken Canti back to the Highwind Manor, but if the suspect knew she was a Highwind, it would only be a matter of time before the suspect made his way over there. He would make a few stops before coming back to the main search.

…

Leviathan was pacing back and forth. What kind of evil had made it into his little pocket dimension? First it was that monster that was looking to devour dark energy, and now the people that lived here were starting to corrupt? This place was pure, free of any sort of crime! Had he not secured it well enough? Was the barrier just not enough to keep out the evil? Or had it gotten worse on the outside?! He sighed, finally deciding to head to his private chambers within the Central Administration Building.

Inside he found the device that allowed him access to the outside world without having to cross the barrier. He placed it on his head and dialed a few things into the keypad. He closed his eyes, and when he opened his eyes again, he found a young man standing there, looking down at him.

"How goes the mission?" he asked, helping untie him from the platform he'd been fastened.

"Terribly," Leviathan replied angrily. "Has my wife been around?"

"Lady Asura hasn't been here in quite a while. Not since you last decided to stop by," the young man answered. "How is our… restoration project going?"

"If I don't figure out what to do to set things straight, all of this effort will be for absolutely nothing," the water eidolon sad. He sat up, but he had to let his body settle. He had been in for far too long. "What of the other realms? Have you heard any news? Anything of the front lines?"

"I'm afraid not," the young man said again. "We've been cut off from every other realm since Corneria was sacked by the tainted keepers."

"...Corneria… was… _**sacked**_?! By _**tainted**_ keepers?!" Leviathan didn't care about letting his body settle. He forced himself up off that platform and stood on his own two feet. "What of the Eidolon council? Has the Heavenly Mother said anything?!"

"Her Grace has fallen silent since the Royal City fell. This stronghold may be discovered before too long…"

"Einar, my boy. I'm sorry. I've left you here alone to safeguard this facility…"

"I don't mind being alone," the young man said quietly. "All of my party had gone to fight on the front lines far before I came here. After Sakinah asked me to clear her memory, she left for the fight, too… and a few of the other keepers stopped by once they got word of what was going on, but no one could stay. No one could handle what they were seeing here… It was simply too much." He turned away to go sit at a large computer console and keyed in a few things. "I'm quite amazed none of them have come here. Perhaps they are all still fighting, or the more likely explanation… they're all dead."

"I fear this battle may be lost forever, then."

"If I thought this battle was lost forever, I would have given up by now," Einar muttered. "I have faith in my old mentor. I have to. If you're so convinced that she is the greatest light against the darkness, then I have to believe it. Otherwise, what would I still be doing here?" He looked up at Leviathan. "Tell me of the malfunction within the program and we'll get it all cleaned up."

"There's been darkness inside it," Leviathan answered. "First, a monster from the Seventh Realm showed up, bearing the Ardent's signature swirling darkness. Second, a man has grown crazy - who tried to repeat the same travesty that befell Cantirena when she was child." He didn't know what to do about it. "What's worse is the entire military I've built for this world is on the search for him and I can't figure out who it is… or why it's happening."

"That should be easy. That entire country is constructed through our suggestions combined with the memories of those we've planted into it," Einar explained. "We don't build the entire world ourselves, but we should at least be able to pinpoint what's caused and and find a way to be rid of it."

"Run it, then."

Einar gave a nod. "I can see some of the values in the code are a bit off from what was originally intended. Should I modify those?"

"Those have grown naturally. I've watched over that myself from the inside," Leviathan said. "It looks like Canti won't be with Minwu any longer."

Einar gasped. "You're joking! I thought that was the true love you were banking on! The secret weapon against the Darkness!"

"The circumstances that put Cantirena and Minwu together did not happen within this life, so it makes sense that they wouldn't be lovers now. Relationships are largely due to circumstance… Minwu saved her life because he saw in his vision that she would one day save him, and their love came from that. In this, he is not in danger of being crystallized, and he hasn't once saved her life…" Leviathan shrugged. "But that's fine. The love that's developing now is very natural. If things had happened differently in this world, I know that this would have been how it turned out."

"Oh, so she's fallen in love with Balthier, then?"

"No. Those two are enemies currently. I'm hoping that'll change before she figures out the way out of there…"

"So she's with…" Einar groaned, rolling his eyes. "I suppose we can't argue with the way her brain works, even in worlds that are built out of memory and code, now can we? She's always had a taste for _adopted_ relatives."

"She has, indeed…" Leviathan pointed at the screen. "Find what's causing this trouble in paradise. Enough gossip."

"Yes, sir."

…

One of the maids that worked at the Highwind Manor had begun mixing up the batter to make Kain's pancakes. Since there was no school, he would have all morning to enjoy his favorite breakfast. And there was a guest, so they'd have to make many more to accommodate her. She was whistling as she worked in the kitchen, happy to do it. She looked out the window to see exactly how beautiful the day was going to turn out, despite all the terrible activity that happened yesterday. As the batter got to sizzling on the griddle, she thought she heard a crash of some sort in the distance.

"Young Master?" she asked. "Please do not practice your combat techniques in the main hall! You know your mother does not appreciate that!"

There was no reply. She expected one, as Kain had always been very kind to the hired household staff, but with him having someone to play with, he must have forgotten his manners. She didn't make that big of a deal of it. The maid went back to cooking up her pancakes, until she felt incredibly sick all of a sudden. Her stomach hurt like anything she'd ever felt before. She put her hand on her stomach, noticing it was wet. That was weird, as the batter wasn't getting on her apron. She'd been making pancakes for Kain since he was old enough to ask for them. She looked down at her hand to see what it was.

Red liquid. She was bleeding.

Her eyes widened and she started to turn as if she wanted to warn Kain of the intruder, but she didn't make it very far. She flumped onto the ground, dropping her spatula onto the tiled floor with a large, loud _pannnng_.

"Y-young m-m-mas…ter…" her lovely hair had fallen out of her uniform bonnet. "…sa-save y-yourself-f…"


	43. Chapter 42: Rechase

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: Huh? A new random follower? Finding that last night totally made my day. I never get followers! Huzzah! We must celebrate!

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Forty-two_

Einar by now was a master of the system Leviathan had built to reconstruct Cantirena's mind. He remembered when he used to type the wrong commands or look up the incorrect passkeys for certain things, but now his fingers moved faster than he ever thought possible. He didn't remember how long it had been since he decided to come work on this project, and quite honestly, he didn't want to know. If he did, he probably would have begun to panic over everything. That it wasn't happening fast enough. Though, it was strange that the last time he remembered looking at his reflection in the computer's screen, he was nothing more than a young boy. Here he was damn near fully grown. It seemed just like yesterday. Time in the land of Eidolons was weird, that's what he'd learned when studying the Fourth Realm, but it seemed as if he was actually experiencing this way.

"Sir," Einar said, looking up at Leviathan, who was staring in disbelief at the line of code that had come up on the main screen. "I must remind you that blocking off a memory from being able to reach in the current state of mind does not destroy the actual memory…" he was annoyed beyond belief. "Remember what causes the events in this system to happen? A combination of memories and suggestions we implant, but it's mostly created by our dear subject's memories."

"So the dream readings were right," Leviathan grunted. "I saw the signs before, but now I understand it. There is no evil that has gone into the system… it's manifested from her memory."

"Exactly."

"I put her in this to save her from herself!" the eidolon yelled, slamming his hands down on the table. "Damn it all."

"There is a way to deal with it, but it's out of my control," Einar said, typing a few things. There was more he needed to check.

"You want her to come to terms with her trauma, without even remembering it happened? Right now she's barely eleven years old, I can't unlock traumatic memories without there being a complete shutdown…" Leviathan began to pace around. "…Heavenly Mother is counting on me to do this right…"

"The others that are in the system are also subject to manifesting the evil from their memories as well," Einar continued. "Cid's memory of the fight against Schizo at the Gaea's Cliffs has left one hell of an effect on his brain... Kain's memory of falling to the whims of an Emperor during the conflict between Cosmos and Chaos… Balthier hates Kain and the rest of the Highwind family because of their rivalry in love that never went anywhere…" He shook his head. "These are things I can do nothing about, and truthfully, neither can you. By giving them free will and by creating a program that manifests a land and the events of that land based on the desires and memories of those who are implanted into it, you've made it impossible to meddle with things from the outside. Thank you, Leviathan, that was an absolutely _stellar_ decision. Even if I were to remove the rapist, or the Emperor-turned-Senator's-son, they would still manifest because of how strong the fear, the memories regarding them are. You're not helping them…" He took the headpiece off and put it on the desk. "I need a moment, sir. Excuse me."

Leviathan turned away from the terminal that controlled the entire thing and walked down another hall, in the opposite direction of where Einar had gone. He stopped at a door, simply marked with a crescent moon, and unlocked it using the keys in his pocket. He looked around to make sure no one was following him and locked the door again immediately behind him the moment he was inside. He pressed a button on the wall, bringing the room to light.

He found a group of pods, all of which were connected to life support. It was terribly cold in there, with the pods being the absolute coldest parts of the room. He made sure to make them all comfortable, even though each member of Canti's party were strapped in and monitored from head to toe. They were the perfect image of before they went in, still preserved as the moment they decided to undertake this coin into a wishing well scenario. Leviathan ran his hand across the front of one of the pods to get a good look at his precious subject herself. Even though she requested to have her mind go back to when she was ten, and she wanted to die in her beloved father's adopted arms instead of continue the way she had, he didn't let all of her go back to that state. If he had, there would have been more reconstructing to do. He then wandered over to Cid, taking a look at the old pilot that Canti had grown to calling 'Papa' affectionately, and then over to Balthier, who he mentally scolded for becoming an enemy of the Highwinds. When he went over to Vanille, he wondered why she hadn't been able to find a way over to Canti in the system yet. And Kain, well, all he could think was _You got what you wanted, didn't you? I think you're the only one who actually got something out of this._ Leviathan wanted this group to succeed, the way he'd always believed they could. But with the Ardent right at their door, he didn't know what to do. Part of him was ready to just let the program run its course, and not interfere with it anymore, while going to face his judgment at the hands of the other eidolons for failing. Especially if Einar was right and there wasn't anything else he could do. Should he and Einar abandon them and leave them to this while going off to face the battle? He certainly was tempted.

"You are the last hope I have, _**we**_ have!" he said to the group, knowing that they could not hear him. "I don't want to give up on you and just leave you in a simulated life forever, but…"

He thought about Canti slowly falling in love with Kain. He read in her files that she wanted to be a pilot, which was her dream while she was still in reality. Leviathan took a deep breath. She was on the right path, but it was taking longer than he wanted it to. He looked back at each of them, shaking his head, and then he headed back out the way he came in, turning off the light and securing it as best he could. When he got back to the control terminal in the main room, he saw Einar sitting back at the keyboard, ready to input anything Leviathan asked for.

"It's time to code the exit that causes them to come back," Leviathan said. "This must be precise."

"Don't worry about me," Einar said. "What is the exit?"

"Cantirena must break the barrier herself and fly through, with all of her party in-tact and present," he pointed at the keyboard. "The spell is in Mysidian. She will need the awakened memory of Cid to fly an airship. She needs the healing and Mysidian knowledge of Minwu. She needs Balthier's cunning. She needs Vanille's ability for black magic. And she'll need Kain."

"What part of Kain will the barrier need?" Einar asked.

"His _presence_ ," Leviathan answered flatly. "At this point, Canti has all she needs from Kain, but she still needs him to be there for her through everything. If they're going to be together, then I might as well take advantage of it." He looked away for a moment and then back at the screen to watch Einar type in line and lines of code. "And I will personally unlock a few layers of memory to get it started in the right direction."

"Y-you're… I'm sorry, but wouldn't that disrupt the entire system?!"

"No, no, my boy. I'm not ready to do that yet," he took in a deep breath. "Their memories unlock completely upon passing through the barrier. All of the realm history, everything that's happened here-"

"But what of the reason that drove her to her death? The loss of-"

Leviathan stopped in his tracks. "That would be dangerous to keep at all. Not only do I not want that unlocked, but I really wish I could completely discard it…" he closed his eyes. "Einar."

"Sir?"

"Remove the memory of all family members in this realm. She is now an orphan. No siblings, no parents. Papa Cid adopted her, we have the official documentation from the Academy and the Royal City of Corneria to prove it to her once she wakes," he commanded. "Don't just lock the memories away of those long gone. Remove them entirely. If they did something important to build who she is, we'll put someone else there to make sure the core event still happens. This is the hardest thing I've ever asked of you, but I need this done."

"I understand."

"If you mess up, do I need to remind you of the consequences?"

"Not at all, sir. I've been aware that I'm always a short distance from death," the young man laughed, putting back on the headpiece of the control apparatus and beginning to type madly. "I've been wondering about that ever since I began working for you. Don't worry. I can make this happen."

"I'm not going back into the system until this is all taken care of. After that, we'll reboot."

…

The Highwind Manor was virtually silent. There were no footsteps, there were no voices. Upstairs in one of the guest rooms, both of the Highwind cousins slept on the same bed. Kain held his cousin's hand, and she in turn kept trying to roll over with all the blankets. Dawn arrived completely, with the lovely day's rays shining through the curtains hanging from the windows. The only thing moving was a shadow, slowly making its way through every room, leaving a trail spotted with blood as it checked absolutely every location. Eventually, the shadow came to the stairs, the dagger in its hand still dripping with the blood of its last victim.

The doors in the hallway let out a tiny squeak when they opened. The shadow left every door it checked open to prevent more squeaking noises from filling the hall. It made its way through the hall, until it found the one room where the two children snored lightly in unison.

The shadow took steps closer, hiding the dagger inside its black cloak. Now, it was not to kill, but to take. It extended hands from the cloak instead, starting to reach for the blue haired girl.

Step. Step. Step. _Squeak!_

Canti immediately sat up, not noticing the shadow that was just behind her. She wasn't fully aware of where she was or how she'd gotten there, as she was used to waking up in her tiny little home and not here within the Highwind Manor. "Huh?!" she asked, causing the shadow to duck in case Kain woke up, because he was in the young man's line of sight.

Kain stirred, but only a little. Staying up late had taken a lot out of him. "Canti, what is it?" he reached for her, stroking her cheek with his hand.

"I… thought I heard something…" her voice hadn't woken up yet, either. "…did you?"

"I didn't," he whispered, and she laid down again, taking comfort in his hand being against her skin. Canti let him caress her a little bit more. "There's nothing to worry about."

"If you say so," she smiled. "This is… nice…"

The shadow rolled its eyes. It waited there, trying to not even breathe, so they might go back to sleep and it could get back to the job at hand. It could have just taken the girl and murdered the boy, but it had overheard its boss speaking fondly of the boy. It could not risk something like that.

"It is indeed," Kain laughed just a little. He loved how the sunlight illuminated her blue curls, like shimmers on flowing water. As he stared at her half-open eyes, which were staring right back at his own, he realized that he had been dreaming about her. Days when they were older, how they were a team. He had taught her how to fight. He had carried her on his shoulders, and piggyback, and in his arms. She saved his life by casting white magic on him, and he in turn lent her one of his polearms as she didn't have one. They were older in the dream, but it certainly felt real. He remembered longing for her as she danced with another under the moonlight. He treasured her company and her input even when her demeanor was lost in space. Was that a vision of the future? "Canti…"

"Yes?"

"...I dreamt about us."

"That's sweet…"

"It just makes me want to be closer to you even more," Kain confessed to her. He hadn't moved yet, but he was certainly ready to get it up.

The shadow was going to have to do something. It couldn't lay here forever, trying to hold its breath, and listening to these two barely teenager speak so lovingly of their relationship only made its stomach churl. At this rate, they were going to get out of bed before it had the chance to do what it came here to do.

"If I could stay here, I would…" Canti said, scooting closer to him. "…I've never felt safer than I do with you."

Kain blushed. "Well, no one's forcing up to get up."

There was a loud noise from downstairs, causing them both to shoot straight up and the shadow to dart underneath the bed. Kain reached for his spear, leaping off the bed to stick himself in the doorway, poised to attack.

"Kain!" came a yell. "Cantirena!"

Kain gripped his spear that much tighter. He thought he heard his father's voice, but he couldn't make it out from all this distance away from the main foyer.

Footsteps came up the stairs quickly before the Grand Dragoon Richard came into Kain's view. "My son," he said, "what's happened here? Members of our staff are dead everywhere!"

"Sir, I've been up here with Canti the entire time. I have no idea what's happened downstairs. I never left her side," Kain answered, breathing heavily. "What do you mean that the staff are dead?"

"Where is your cousin?"

"She is here with me," Kain said. "Like I said, I've never left her side."

Richard stuck his head in the door to see Canti there. "Well done! Like a true Warrior of the Water, you have upheld your duty. We must go now, however."

"Huh?" Canti cocked her head to the side.

"Come with me, both of you," he was tense, his eyes darting all over the place. He would rather whoever was hiding around here waiting for the perfect moment to strike to not have a clue as to what he was planning. "This minute."

"I'm not dressed," Canti said, embarrassed at the idea of leaving the room in someone else's pajamas.

"You do not have to be…" he said insistently. "…you will come with me, now."

She didn't understand what was going on, but she obeyed her uncle as to not get in trouble. Papa Cid would not have liked to hear that she was causing trouble. She stepped off the bed and followed Kain in the direction Richard pointed. Richard was cautious, and it made her wonder if there was danger. "Uncle Richard," she said softly, wanting to ask him about it.

"Quietly, dear."

Kain took her hand as if he completely understood what was going on. He showed bravery when she was starting to feel nothing but fear. He led her down the stairs, where they were starting to see all the mess that Richard had seen coming up. Bloody spots, things were knocked over and thrown about, and collapsed ladies wearing the maid uniform Erina had all of the manor staff wear. It smelled like burning. Kain could smell the pancake batter, but there was burning in the kitchen. Richard went inside to unplug the griddle and turn off other appliances, while the cousins stood together waiting for him to guide them wherever else he needed them to go. He stopped for a moment to check on a painting, lifting it up to press a big red button underneath. It glowed vibrantly but didn't let off any sound. He eventually brought them outside, through the backdoor to the courtyard where the dragon statue was still standing.

"We're not supposed to be outside," Canti whispered to Kain.

"With Father, it's all right. The law says as long as we have an adult guardian, we're not going to get in trouble," Kain reassured her. "There's something still in the house. That's why Father is taking us out here."

"Whoever killed the maids… was probably the one… after _me_ …" she felt her eyes burn with tears. "They died… because of me…"

Kain reached around her, squeezing her to him. "No, no. It's not because of you."

Richard looked around again before he uncovered a chocobo cart that had been hidden in the backyard between shrubberies. He opened it to allow them to climb inside, hoping they'd take care of making themselves comfortable. He covered it back up partially, unlocked a part of the fence that Kain didn't know could open, and climbed onto the front. He took the reigns and slapped them down, causing the chocobo to let out a loud ' _kw-we-eeeh_!' They took off as fast as possible. Richard didn't even bother to lock the fence back into place.

"Father, please tell me what's going on," Kain said, still holding on to Canti. She still seemed like she could break down into tears.

"We have to move Canti somewhere safer. Clearly whoever is doing this knows everything there is to know about her, and he's not going to stop until he gets her," Richard answered. "I've sent a signal - the entire Highwind Family and all of the authorities know that the manor has been compromised."

"Where are we going?" Canti asked, clinging to Kain's arm for security. The cart was going so fast, it was hard to make much of what was going on. "Where's Papa Cid?!"

"Cid is waiting where we're going… don't worry," Richard replied. "I will not allow you to fall into evil hands, Cantirena. You've nothing to fear. We're all going to protect you. You're one of us, a Highwind."

The carriage raced through the city, through multitudes of military policemen searching every square inch of the country. It all felt like some weird nightmare, and Canti just wanted to finally wake up from it all. Kain let her hold on as tightly as she needed to, and he held on to her just as tightly in return.


	44. Chapter 43: Retort

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: None at the moment. Drawing a new cover image soon. I do not like the one I have up right now.

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Forty-three_

Canti heard Cid's voice, as if it were distorted. She opened her eyes, looking around to see where she was. She was laying on a cot in a very plain looking room. She didn't know how she got here, but as she rubbed her eyes, she figured she must have fallen asleep. The cot was nowhere near as comfortable as the bed she slept on back at the manor. She was covered in a simple blanket. She just stayed there for a bit, letting out a little yawn.

The door nearby opened and Kain came in. She turned over to see him there, holding up a tray. "I figured you'd be awake by now," he said. "Sit up. I've brought you rations from the mess hall."

"Rations? Mess hall?" Canti asked. "That's… military talk."

"It is," Kain said, placing the tray in front of her. "I couldn't make requests. Mess halls don't work that way. You eat what's served and that's that. So please don't be picky."

"I'd have to be hungry to be picky," she said, just picking up a piece of toast. "So that means we're in the Warriors stronghold, huh?" It was dry and crispy. She didn't care. She didn't really want to eat. Her nerves were so tied up that she was afraid to put anything into her system.

"That's exactly where we are," Kain answered her. "Father brought us here until we find whoever it is that's after you. He wanted to report to Leviathan about the situation, but the headmaster's gone AWOL."

"...more military talk…" she grumbled, "…I don't know what that one means."

"Leviathan's gone. Vanished. No one can find him," Kain clarified it kindly. "The situation's gone from bad to worse. No one thought we'd need to fall back to a place like this… Father said that the MP have never had a situation this severe before. They're lacking in leadership for it. He went to try to lead, but the MP and the Warriors of the Water are two different divisions, and the MP refuse to listen to the Grand Dragoon. That's just now how they operate. So it's all disorganized, no one knows how to handle anything, and…" He took a deep breath, noticing that hearing all of this was overwhelming her. "…forgive me, Canti. I've just listened in to all of their conversations, taking part in all of their meetings while waiting for you to wake back up."

"You were waiting for me?" Canti asked.

"Yes. According to the last orders given by Leviathan before he disappeared, he himself ordered that I should be your personal guard," Kain replied. 

"Not that you need an official command to do it."

He chuckled. "You aren't wrong."

Canti was barely able to choke down that toast, and she didn't eat much of anything else on the tray. She was too worried to eat, even at Kain's request. She would need to keep her strength up regardless of where they were, and being stressed at all times like this would only make things that much worse on her. "Too bad we can't go back. I liked how we were."

"I wouldn't mind that."

"But… now would be really awkward."

"If you need to lean on me," Kain gestured to her, opening his arms up. "Then come here."

"It's not that I _need_ to," she said bashfully.

"If you _want_ to lean on me, I'm not going to stop you."

She started to, but the door opened again, and their fathers stepped in the room. Richard made sure to close the door behind them. Cid appeared more distraught than he had in a long time. Canti couldn't remember a time where she saw her father's face so sad. Instead of hugging on Kain, she immediately got up and ran over to him, gripping him as tightly as she could manage.

"How are you, baby girl?" Cid asked, returning the affection.

"I'm all right…"

"I hate to have to do this, but we're going be staying here for a while," he said, pulling her up into his arms. She climbed on him until she was sitting on his shoulders and gripping onto his goggle straps. "Well, at least until the house is rebuilt."

"What's wrong with our house?" Canti asked.

"The suspect that's been looking for you? He trashed our house completely."

"I wanted to tell you both to stay at the Highwind Manor, but you know how that's gone down," Richard said. "We've been searching high and low for Leviathan. He's the one with the authority to command the Military Police. If we could combine our efforts this would go a lot easier." He frowned. "Kain, give me a report."

Kain stood up at attention and gave a salute. "Grand Dragoon, sir! We've had contact with a few of the bodyguards of the Senators. I've heard that the Senators are discussing whether or not to give more power to the Warriors of the Water, but some are reluctant. Also, Canti is doing all right. But for that you have visual confirmation."

"...you pay attention way more than you let on," Cid said, surprised that Kain had picked up on all of that just by listening in between taking care of his own duties.

"Of course. I'm in training to be the Grand Dragoon!" Kain proclaimed very proudly. "I have to be aware of all the people that might act one way but believe another way about my ascension. They might even judge me for the way you run things, Father. They may not accept the fact that I'm taking up the position simply because I'm your son."

"Honestly, it's not because you're my son that you're in the running for the position," Richard said calmly. "The results of the tests and the orders of Leviathan are what secure your ascension. This has nothing to do with being a Highwind. They should know that."

"It's like things are falling apart simply because Leviathan isn't here," Canti said softly as she had begun to mess around with her Papa Cid's hair. "They won't cooperate. People aren't thinking like they do when he's around. Isn't he the one that does all the tests and keeps up with what everyone's job is?"

Cid looked up at her. "He is. They might see all this unrest as a chance to throw a coup."

"I don't care what they want!" Kain shouted at them suddenly. "What matters is catching that… that… _freak_ before he finds out where Canti is!" His heart was thumping so hard, he couldn't really hear himself think.

"Kain…" Canti cocked her head to the side as she gazed at him.

"Even if he figures out that we're here, he can't get through. Every door has two Warriors of the Water on guard," Richard reassured them. "If he tries to come all the way here to get her, he'd have to get past all of my men. That won't happen. And even if he does, Cid and I are stationed right outside this door, and Kain is stationed right here. You, my son, are the final line of defense."

"I accept my duty, sir!" Kain said, standing at attention again.

"You always have," Richard smiled at him.

Cid reached to take Canti off his shoulders, placing her on her feet. "Break's almost over. Sorry, baby girl. There's more to do."

"Aww…" Canti frowned a little. "…Papa…"

"Don't worry. Kain will keep you company," Cid said, ruffling her hair. "You won't be lonely." He and Richard both headed out of the room, leaving the duo of cousins to their own devices.

"What do we do now?" Canti asked Kain.

Kain looked around. The room was pretty barebones. "We can find something to do in here… somewhere…" He got up to look through the nearby desk and cabinets. There wasn't much fun stuff, but he did find paper and writing utensils. He didn't know if that would be enough for him, but he still showed them to Canti to see if it might work for her. He kept looking around.

"There's a lot of cots in here…" Canti said. "…we could totally build a fort."

"Let's build a mighty fort, then."

…

Leviathan watched the screen of code carefully, having found a few things he needed to change. He erased a line and replaced it with another, slightly different line. Sweat dripped down his forehead. This was incredibly difficult to do.

"Sir, I've found the current situation and she is in a secure location," Einar said. "Shall we upload it now?"

"Commence."

Einar gave a nod, pressing a button.

…

Canti had set up a few cots on their side. There was going to be enough space in here for them both once it was all finished. She liked how she'd managed to get each cot to stand up like that. She took the sheets off of them and planned to make the roof of their fort with them. Kain kept bringing over more of the bedding from the other cots in the room for her to set up. There were still more, so he kept going back and forth.

"Kain…" she said. "…I know you're going to have to clean this up once we're all done…"

"I'm pretty sure I will be, too."

She watched him carry a handful of things. He put them down next to where she was setting up the cots together. "I'm sorry ahead of time."

"Don't be ridiculous," Kain said, smiling. "This is the most fun I've ever had while on duty! I don't care if I have to make every cot in the whole base once we're done."

She yawned. It didn't make much sense, as she felt like she just woke up from a nap. Why was she so tired? "Why are you so-" she yawned again, this time louder. "-nice to me?"

Kain shook his head. "I told you all ready," he replied. "I love you."

Canti couldn't fight it any more. Her brain was demanding that she rest. She fell on top of one of the cots, her eyes closed completely. When Kain noticed he rushed over to her. He was confused. Was it magic? She had a nap just earlier. She didn't sleep this much, did she? It didn't seem natural. She was awake and happy when he had looked at her not more than a few seconds ago. As he tried to wake her, he felt as if his brain was shutting down on its own. He wanted to fight it, as he wanted to warn his father and uncle of what was going on, but there wasn't anything he could do. Kain flopped onto the cot next to her, the last thing he saw before passing out was the face of his cousin in that sudden sleep.

…

Leviathan took a deep breath. "I pray this works," he said, pressing a few more buttons on the control panel.

"As do the rest of us," Einar added. "Unlocking memories currently."

"While she's going to have to face Borghen herself to be rid of that haunting demon, she's not in a position to stand up to it in her current state," Leviathan said. "I only hope that by delaying it, she can gain more of herself. I might have to make that confrontation a key part of unlocking the barrier between that world and this one."

"Sir. The political situation is in shambles without you there to lead. I highly suggest you go back in to stabilize it," Einar suggested.

"You're absolutely right. I should. But I can't go in during all of this."

"Not saying you can, just saying that time passes differently between the worlds, and that you don't want someone trying to throw a revolution while you're trying to recode the world."

"Einar, I'm not sure you can handle being alone for as long as this project may take."

"I told you, sir. I'm used to being alone. I'll do what I can here, for the sake of everyone that's come and gone in this fight… I _have_ to."

Leviathan could have cried over the fate of that poor boy. Someone _had_ to watch over things from this side.


	45. Chapter 44: Rebuild

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: You thought I was kidding. Haha. Oh, _no_. This is happening.

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Forty-four_

Canti hadn't ever felt like this before. With her blue staff in hand, she ran around every corner as haphazardly as she always did. She'd been excited. She'd been overwhelmingly excited. But she had never actually been given an official assignment in one of the Realms of Fantasy before! Everyone else she knew had gone into the paintings within the Halls of Memories. This time, it was her turn. She always wondered when Dr. Mog would finally give her a chance to prove herself. This meant that she'd been officially promoted to being a keeper, and not just in-training. Sure, she'd been a little behind on her studies, but even Dr. Mog acknowledged that it wasn't all her fault. She didn't come here understanding the language everyone else was speaking. But that didn't matter now. She'd come far enough to actually be of use! Those days of screaming in her father's tongue at teachers were long gone, far behind her now.

Canti jumped clear over a set of desks in the hall with ease, completely going over the student that was taking a make-up test there, and continuing down the hall without a single obstacle in her way.

"Canti!" came a scolding voice. "Where do you think you're going in such a hurry, young lady?! How many times have you been told about running in the halls?!"

She turned to see that the voice came from a boy who was a head taller than her, with a mess of shaggy brown hair. His skin was as sunkissed as the legendary Minwu's, and he had a dancer's blade hanging from his hip. Canti put her hands on her hips as she declared, "I'm the same as you now, and I've seen you run through halls before!"

"Those are only during emergencies, fire drills, and the like…" he said, shaking his head. "…what's gotten into you?"

Canti pointed at her lapel, where she had pinned a badge that Dr. Mog gave her just a few moments ago. "I have an _assignment_ ," she said proudly, flashing that smile she always did when she knew that she was in the right about something. "I'm going to the realms."

"...you've been given an assignment?" he asked.

She nodded, pointing again, this time much more obviously at the badge. "I'm a keeper now."

"Well, then! We'll have to celebrate, won't we?" the voice from the boy had changed somehow. It was no longer that deep voice, but the pitch had changed drastically. Canti had been staring right at him, because it was her intention to show off at every chance she got, but she blinked, and suddenly there wasn't a boy standing there at all. It was a short, somewhat-heavy set girl with teal colored hair with a huge hammer strapped to her back. "I'm so glad to hear that you've finally gotten that promotion, Canti. You've been working hard."

"You bet I have, Crystal," Canti said, striking a pose. She was going to soak up all of that praise while it was still being given out. She'd had her fair share of scoldings, but no, not this time. "I'm going to succeed at this and hopefully be given even more important work. I won't be useless! Not anymore!"

"In all the years I've known you," Crystal said, "I've never once thought you were useless."

"...yes you have! Getting onto my case about my manners and my study habits and-"

Crystal sighed. "It's not because I thought that you're useless, Canti. It's because I knew you were capable of far more than you were actually achieving. And you standing here with that badge proves to me that I was more than right." She reached into the pocket of her school robes, pulling out a shiny metal thing. "But, just in case. I need you to take this with you."

Canti received it, looking at it as it sat there glowing in her hands. "This is a shard of mythril," she was amazed by it, as she'd never actually held mythril before. It had all sorts of magical properties, from what she'd read.

"It is. As you go through the realms, you'll find more of this… but going without it is more than dangerous," the young blacksmith said gently. She was pleading with her long-time friend that she had grown to see as family. It would have done nothing but devastate her to see Canti hurt after only her first mission in the Realms. "If, for whatever reason, you believe you're on the brink of death, use its magic and save yourself. Don't die needlessly. Please."

Canti placed the shard of mythril in her satchel. "Don't worry about me. I can handle myself."

"You're very skilled at white magic, and I've always acknowledged your ability," Crystal said. Her smile was genuine, conveying a sense of confidence, but not a sense of overblown ego like Canti's showoff smile. "Also, if you don't mind me saying so… that jump you made over the desk earlier was impressive. With that kind of agility, wouldn't you be suited to study the path of the dragoon?"

"Maybe. Dragoons are badass!" And, according to the history of the realms, were never _ever_ once useless. Dragoons were powerful, and they got to wear amazingly awesome armor that made them look like dragons. Canti could imagine herself finally being recognized instead of put down by all of her classmates if she had studied that line of work. But there was no way she could betray the magic that saved her life after that unfortunate accident when she fell into the Second Realm. She needed to know white magic so she could save others, as that's what the mystical seer Minwu had told her when she was in his care.

"...watch your language!"

"What other adjective would best describe such a nimble, noble warrior?" Canti asked. "Their armor is nothing short of _badass_ -" she stopped to heavily enunciate the word she was being scolded for using simply to see how far the punishment would go "-as is their fighting skills."

"There are far more…" Crystal just laughed at that. Now Canti was just goading her on at this point. She knew that tone of voice. She knew that devilish trickster smile. "All right. Get on with your mission. When you come back after having given a job well done, I'll have some cake ready for you."

Canti's eyes went all sparkly upon hearing that. She loved a lot of things in this academy, but there wasn't much she loved more than cake. It wasn't something she got to eat every day, as the desserts were rotated in the cafeteria. Some days there were pies, some days there were pastries, some days there were cookies, but none of them were as beloved to Canti as a two-layer chocolate cake. "Now I have to come back alive!"

"Are you saying you didn't have to before…?"

"Don't worry! I'll be totally fine!" Canti rushed off again, using her natural agility to avoid all who came at her and all who wanted to move around her. Since when was she so fast? "I'm getting that caaaaaaaaake!" She threw her entire weight into her movement, causing her to use gravity to her advantage. Canti landed on her feet every time as she ran around the academy before she came to the gigantic golden-framed doors that held the Paintings that led throughout the time stream. She pulled out the paper front her purse just to make sure of where she was going. "Realm Four. Make sure Cecil and Rydia are alive after Titan's attack to be able to continue their quest," she read it out loud. That was going to be super simple!

Canti approached the painting that led to Mist. It showed the BombRing, which some translated as Carnelian Signet, exploding to devour the entire town. She frowned. Was she not going to help anyone else other than the two known survivors of that tragedy? She put her hand up to it and whispered some magical words. The badge on her lapel glowed as if to activate the painting's powers. In front of the painting now swirled a portal, and she put her hand up to it. The energies sort of tickled her skin, but after she stuck her hand far enough in, the portal did the rest of the work, taking her right off of her feet and sucking her through with its powers.

…

Einar looked over at Leviathan, who had been silent for the longest time. He wasn't sure what to make of the changes he was forcing on those memories. He worried about the overall effects of not forcing her to face her despair, but the eidolon wasn't having any of that backtalk. Any time he tried to voice how bad he thought this could be, Leviathan promptly told his assistant to kindly shut the hell up and let him do what he needed to do. It was painstaking work, going through each of those memories with people he wanted to no longer exist within the workings of Cantirena's mind and covering them up with someone that was fine to plant there. According to Crystal's file, she didn't even attend the same academy as Canti. But that didn't stop Leviathan from completely planting the young half-dwarf in Ramuh's care and completely voiding her path with Ifrit's academy. He watched the water spirit type madly and watch the events play out on the mini-visor that hovered over his eye like half a pair of glasses. Some of those memories, he was putting Hikari in, when according to the file on hand, Hikari didn't come to that school until years after Canti had all ready been enrolled! Einar believed that the master was being incredibly sloppy for doing this. What could he say, though?

"Sir, may I be excused for a break?" Einar asked, trying to avoid being annoying, but he couldn't help but bounce his right knee repeatedly as his nerves were completely shot.

It took a few moments for Leviathan to respond. "Ah, yes, my boy. Go right ahead." Anything to get him to stop fidgeting and staring at every little change he was making. Of course it was going to look sloppy, because Leviathan didn't have the time to explain everything he was doing right now. With one or two memories being changed, yes, it did seem like people were out of place, but he was going through everything with a fine toothed comb, and nothing would escape these changes. He wasn't going to mess this up, there was too much at stake.

"Do you want me to bring you something to eat, sir?"

"That would be splendid. Thank you."

…

When Canti's eyes opened again, they were terribly out of focus. She was being carried, at least, that's what she could make out from what she felt going on around her. She tried to remember where she had been, and what she was doing. Her first assignment as a keeper was to go into the Fourth Realm and make sure that Cecil and Rydia were able to continue their journey after the destruction of Mist. She didn't have any team mates when she went in, but she did meet a dragoon that was traveling with Cecil before the BombRing exploded. He was hurt, so she took care of him with her magic, and when monsters were surrounding her, he helped her fight them off. She managed to place a magic glyph in the spot where Cecil and Rydia were before all of that, so she knew she at least accomplished her mission, but… why did everything hurt so much?

"...Sir Kain Highwind?!" came a voice Canti recognized. She was still out of it, and her stomach ached like crazy. "W-what are you doing here?!"

"This young one saved my life. I intend to return the favor," Kain's voice seemed to be the nearest to her, so she believed he was the one carrying her. "I do not know this place. Please help me help her."

Wait. Kain Highwind… was… _carrying_ her?!

Canti's eyes blinked a few times. She tried to bring her vision into focus, and eventually it happened. The helmet in the shape of a dragon hovered over her face. Long blonde hair fell from it, and the only human part of the face she could see was his purple lips and his chin. "…huh?"

"Do not try to speak. I've brought you back to your home so that someone can take care of your wounds," Kain said very gently. "Something in your pocket caused a magical doorway to open. At least, that's how I understand what happened."

The mythril she'd been given led her back home? That means she'd been KO'd somehow! Oh, _no_! That meant she was going to be in huge trouble, especially since an honored hero of the realm she was assigned to also made it back here. Oh, he should have just let her die… there was not going to be any leniency on this one.

"Canti!" there was a boy's voice nearby. Full of concern, worry, and more than likely, disappointment. "I can't believe you! Didn't you read the history? Sir Kain survives all of that and is recovered by Golbez. You threw that entire realm's history off course!"

Canti grunted. "I was sent on a mission where I had to make sure two people out of literally thousands survive," she said angrily. She couldn't see the boy, but she was ready to give him a piece of her mind regardless. The whole mission had pissed her off. She wanted to do more, to help more, and when the dragoon she met had been wounded, she did her best to take care of him, because that's what a good white mage was supposed to do. "I was sent on a mission where I couldn't save any of those innocent villagers!"

"Those villagers have to die." As the boy's voice continued, things about it were changing. The pitch went way off. The tone was changing. Eventually, it wasn't even the same voice at all. "It's a major event in the history of that realm, for the development of both Cecil and Rydia, and even Sir Kain, who has to endure all of what Golbez puts him through to make him a better person to help save the realm seventeen years later. We are not here to save everyone, we're here to uphold history as it was meant to be."

"I don't care!" Canti said, forcing herself to sit up despite the pain she was in. "Hikari, I've had enough of your damn scolding! Go away!" Was that her name? Yeah, she was sure that was who was speaking. That voice was unmistakably her classmate Hikari.

Hikari stomped out in a fit of tears. She only cared about her classmate's well-being. She knew Canti had a bad habit of not taking care of herself, or always being aware of the situation at hand. What's worse is, by doing this, she feared that the whole Fourth Realm could be put into danger. Taking one of the legendary heroes from the realms into the place beyond the flow of time could create an opening for the evil shadow to pass through, which was the entire reason why the keepers existed in the first place…

Kain placed her onto a surface that was much harder than being held in his arms. "I don't understand a lot of what I've heard here. I just know that I'm glad you saved my life," he said, still looking down at her. "A healer will come for you very soon."

"I can heal myself…"

"I will not allow it. You wouldn't be able to take care of the wounds you bear in your state," Kain said, shaking his head. "Do us all a favor and put your pride aside. Be silent and rest. We will talk more after you are healed."

 _Do us all a favor and put your pride aside, Sir Dragoon!_ Canti heard the echo of her own words to him.

"Huh. That's exactly… what I told you…" Canti wanted to laugh, but she was in far too much pain to actually laugh about that.

"Do not think I am devoid of humor."

She did as she was told, silently lying flat and waiting for a healer to come to the infirmary and take a look at her wounds. Whatever they were. Canti couldn't remember what they were or where they came from. Kain did stay there with her until the healer came, as the wounds were in a place that wouldn't be appropriate for him to see. He waited outside the room.

Canti was up on her feet, plus another solid verbal thrashing from the nurse that had been healing all of her clumsy mistakes since she came to live at the academy. All that nonsense about being aware of what was going on around her, and not chasing after the thrill of danger, and augh. She had it up to over her head with that. She did her job. Sure, she brought along a companion totally by mistake, but she did what she was told to do. Of course, she had a feeling that Dr. Mog was going to chide her hide for his on top of everything else.

When Canti walked out of the room in the infirmary, both Kain and Dr. Mog were standing there, ready to talk to her about something. It looked important. She expected the good doctor to jump her case as everyone else had today, but he was actually smiling.

"You've done well, kupo."

"I have?" she was instantly bewildered.

"Normally, it isn't accepted for keepers to bring heroes back here, but bringing Sir Kain here now means we don't have to track him down later, kupo." Dr. Mog said. "I wasn't planning on putting you on this team, but as of now, I have no choice. Canti, kupopo, I need you to help gather up the memories of the heroes. We will need every hero to bolster our strength to defeat the threat that comes towards us now." He fluttered his little bat wings to lift himself off the ground as any other moogle was known to do. "Kupoooo."

"I humbly accept this task, Dr. Mog!" Canti said.

"You will be forming teams with other heroes from different realms. You will be given different missions and assignments as time goes along, kupo," Dr. Mog said, turning to fly away. "Report to my office tomorrow morning. You have the rest of the day off, kupopo."

Kain looked at the young woman that had saved his life, noticing that she was no longer carrying her wooden staff, but the spear he'd given her during the fight to defend herself with. "…you can keep the spear I gave you," he said. "That staff wasn't doing you much good when we were fighting."

"I don't know anything about fighting with a spear," she confessed.

"If you'd like, I can teach you."

"Sir Kain Highwind, I would be honored to learn from you! Teach me, teach me!" Canti said, instantly throwing her weight on him into a hug that proved she was much physically stronger than she let on. "Actually, if I'm going to form a team with heroes, would you… would you be interested in joining my team?"

Kain only sighed at that. Maybe she was too excitable for him to deal with? However, she did save his life, and based on what he heard that moogle wearing the same uniform Canti was wearing say, she helped him out in a bigger way that he was giving her credit for. She seemed like the type that needed someone to look after her, as she would throw herself into things without being aware of anything around her. "I will join your team, yes."

"I'm so glad!" Canti said, letting him go. "Let me show you around the academy! It's a huge place!"

"Very well…"


	46. Chapter 45: Reconvene

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: *has a maniacal cackling sort laugh that goes on for way longer than it should*

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Forty-five_

When Canti opened her eyes again, she had no idea what the hell was going on. That dream was so vivid, it felt like she'd actually lived it. What was that school? She called it the academy? Those uniforms were strange, but she remembered exactly how it felt to wear it. And Kain wasn't her cousin, but a hero from another world inside a painting? She shook her head, totally confused as to what was going on. She noticed that Kain was curled up on the cot next to her, his hand placed over hers. Protective as always. Then she remembered seeing both Hikari and Crystal there, too. They were both older than her for some reason. What the hell was going on? Her head buzzed so loudly inside her mind that she couldn't hear herself think, and that was annoying!

The door to the room opened and Cid came in, worried. "Baby girl, are you all right?" he asked.

She just nodded.

"Everyone in the facility just passed out at the same time…" Cid said. "…like some magic had gotten into the whole system." He stared at her for a moment. The things he had seen in his dream had clearly left an impact on him. "After what I dreamt about, I had to come and make sure you were all right."

"What… did you dream about, Papa?"

"I was the mayor of some town built around a rocket? All I wanted was to go into space, but my dreams were crushed and I'd become a bitter old man… until I found you, took you in," Cid said, scratching the back of his head. "I decided I was going to adopt ya as my own, but people came for you. Took you away from me. There was nothing I could do. I'd never felt so… devoured by my own sadness like that, the idea of losing you."

She got up from where she had fallen over and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Oh, Papa, I'm not going anywhere!"

"I know. It was just a dream. Felt real as hell, though," Cid said, returning the hug. "Woke up with tears in my eyes. I thought they _had_ come for you."

"If they do, you can just run them through with your spear!"

"Damn straight, pumpkin!" he picked her up the way he always had picked her up, spinning her around the way she used to love it right after he first adopted her.

They shared their bonding until Richard came in suddenly. "Good news," he nearly shouted at them. "They got him! Finally!"

Kain immediately sat up. "Then put him on trial this instant!"

Richard shook his head. "I'm afraid those things take time. But he has been transferred to the maximum security facility. Kain!"

"Sir?"

"Time to clean up in here."

"...yes, sir."

Canti watched as Kain begun to pick things up, as she knew would happen, but Cid was carrying her away from the room she'd been in all that time. She hugged around his neck, laying on his chest and resting on the strength of his shoulders as he carried her around. Cid and Richard were discussing how things would proceed. The tiny house Cid built for the two of them was in shambles and there may not be much to recover now, and the security of the Highwind Manor was going to have to completely be reconfigured. They didn't know where any of the Highwind family was going to live now after all of this. She didn't really follow a lot of it, as there was a lot of interruptions based on all the other officers within the Warriors of the Water. It seemed every other sentence between her father and her uncle were being interrupted by something else entirely.

"How'd they catch 'im?" Cid asked one of the men.

"Turns out, he was hiding out on the Monster Farm in one of the nests of a Behemoth King!" he answered.

"So, he wasn't the one who killed the staff at the Highwind Manor?" Richard asked. "That was someone else?"

"Had to have been," another random warrior replied.

"Well that just means we have another enemy to take down."

Canti pulled on Cid's jacket to get his attention. When he turned to ask her what was wrong, she said, "I think I know who was sneaking into the manor, Papa."

"You do?" he asked. "Who do you think it was?"

"Well, on the day of my ceremony, Ffamran Bunansa broke into the manor because he wanted to steal the Wind Crystal," she suggested quietly. "It could easily be one of them, because Ffamran told me after I caught him about the relationship between the Bunansas and the Highwinds." Canti didn't know if it was that for sure, but that was the only thing she had to go on.

"That's a very good possibility," Richard said, ruffling her hair. "We've had a team clean out all the bodies within the manor, but until we can work on improving security measures, I simply cannot allow you or Kain to be there. Especially not alone."

"What about Erina's place in Fisherman's Horizon?"

"That's a terrible idea, Cid! That place is… it's not fit for anyone to live there."

"We don't have much of a choice. School won't resume until Leviathan tells Garden to open, and there's too much going on to keep them here. My house isn't there anymore, and yours is unsafe. I say we send them to Fisherman's Horizon," Cid said sternly.

Richard had this expression on his face, revealing that he was disgusted with the idea of it, but Cid was right in the fact that there wasn't much he could do. Kain had come along from cleaning up the mess they'd made while building their fort. Cid put Canti on her feet, and the two adults went into having one of their discussions they were always known for having. Kain just took Canti's hand and the two of them went out of the room where they were being loud about their discussion. Over across the hall was a place they could just sit and wait for them to stop arguing over everything.

…

Crystal had been sitting there in the living room, watching the Sphere for updates as to what all was going on. She'd fallen asleep a few times, probably because all this waiting was boring and she wanted to be able to head back to her anvil and beat the fuck out of some metal with her gargantuan hammer. She flipped through channels, and nothing was coming up, until she'd gotten a call.

"Tobul residence," she said politely, answering the call with a flick of the button.

The caller was Hikari. "Oh, good, they finally let the call go through!"

"Hikari?" Crystal asked, confused. "What's up?"

"My dad just left to take care of some business with the senators, but anyway. They haven't announced it on the Sphere yet, but my dad says they caught the guy!"

"Whoa, really?!" Crystal smiled. "That's great! I'm glad to hear it!"

"Yeah, turns out that I was asleep when it all happened… all this waiting around is total BS," Hikari continued. "What a bummer. I was hoping I'd be able to at least see him get his head chopped off."

"Or smashed into pudding."

They both giggled, and Hikari added, "If Canti were here, she'd probably add 'or skewered'."

"Ha, she would, too!" Crystal nodded, wondering exactly how their mutual best friend was holding up in all of this mess.

"I am worried about her, though. Whoever it was totally destroyed her house."

"That's a bummer. But you know the Highwinds, they always think of something…"

"I can't argue with that."

"Have you been able to contact the manor?"

"No way. Turns out, the manor was sacked and all the staff were killed."

"WHAT?" Crystal gasped upon hearing that. Now she was petrified for Canti! Where was she going to go now?

"According to what Sir Jecht told my dad over the Sphere, he heard that both Canti and Kain were in the manor at the time it happened, too… turns out, the Grand Dragoon had come to check on them and got them out before the guy was able to hurt either of them. Thank Cosmos," Hikari explained. She sounded like she was scared, too. "If they weren't close before…"

"...they could be engaged by now…" Crystal couldn't help but laugh, but it was one of those nervous laughs only really let out when under a lot of stress. "If they were fighting off someone trying to kidnap Canti and make off with her, Kain's all ready her hero."

"Too bad for Mateus."

"You don't mean that. He's a creep."

"He is pretty creepy, but it's painfully obvious that Matty's got a crush. He can barely keep himself in his pants when she's around." Hikari seemed to understand way more about relationships than Crystal did.

"Is it just me, or is he also crushing on Kain, too?"

"...so you noticed that."

"Yes! It's clear as day! Why do you think Kain hates him so much?"

Hikari nodded in agreement. "I never thought I'd say this, but I miss school. I miss hanging out with you, Canti, and all our friends. Going to the town square and having fun."

"Yeah. I sure wish life would normalize all ready."

"You aren't the only one."

"I bet everyone else feels this way, too."

"I imagine no one wants it more than Canti does right now."

"Mhm."

…

The main administration building was in all sorts of a mess. No one could find Leviathan, and he'd never gone into hiding this long before. The eidolon in charge of running thing also kept a delicate balance between the Warriors of the Water and the Military Police, which was causing problems with the news that the criminal, confirmed to be Borghen of Fisherman's Horizon by the Palamecian Monster Farm's own owner, Senator Matteo, and his charismatic son, the young master Mateus. The duo gave their confessions in the center of the meeting hall, surrounded by all the other Senators and, for the first time in the history of the Senate, their bodyguards.

"I was on my routine check as that is my chore on the farm," Mateus said, turning to look at every part of the Senate. "And I found this _stranger_ hiding among the eggs of a King Behemoth!" He pointed at Borghen, who was chained to a display right in front of where he and his father stood.

"You… you liar!" Borghen shouted until one of the MPs zapped him with a lightning-gun.

"Without Leviathan here, we don't know what to do with the criminal," Senator Kinoc said from the back. "What do we do with him?"

"Hang him," Senator Palamecia suggested.

"That's barbaric!" Senator Ultimecia shouted.

"Grabbing school children on their way home is barbaric," Senator Braska said, shaking his head. He looked at his two guardians that stood at both of his sides and asked, with his hand over the microphone so only those two could hear him. "What do you two think about this?"

Jecht said, "I think we don't even need Leviathan for that piece of shit. Get the family of the victim and have them decide what to do with him. I know if it happened to our kids, we'd want the choice, right?"

"Mmm," Auron's deep voice didn't respond right away. "Speaking with no political background, there is no written law that states Leviathan must be the judge over these matters. Perhaps we should propose letting the victim choose a fate for him."

Jecht rubbed the back of his neck. "Might be the only fair way."

Braska nodded, giving them a signal with his other hand to let them know he was going to take his hand off the mic so he could speak to the rest of the Senate. "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, might I make a suggestion?"

"What do you have in mind?" Senator Shinra asked, stroking his mustache. "Everyone knows you for being lenient…"

Borghen looked up at Braska as if he was begging for mercy.

"This is not going to be lenient. What I am about to suggest may be the most harsh punishment one could propose," Braska continued. "I believe we should summon the victim here and ask the victim what they believe the appropriate punishment would be."

"A little girl would not wish death on anyone," Senator Shinra grunted. "How stupid."

"Are you saying that it isn't the right of her father to look into the eyes of the one who tried to kidnap his daughter?" Senator Palamecia asked. "Honestly, I believe Braska has a very good idea. Most of us are parents ourselves. If a pervert were to come after my own son, I would love to have the chance to ask the one responsible what the hell he was thinking!" He nodded and was doing everything he could to encourage this within the other senators. He was even willing to filibuster for the chance of that being the decision.

Mateus smiled at that, but he said nothing. Watching Borghen squirm for his failure was lovely enough, but knowing that the darling little Cantirena would have to come here to decide his fate? Now that was delicious. "Father," he whispered out of the range of the mic, "I'm going to take care of a few things. Would you like me to send a summons to the Highwind family?"

"No one knows where they are at the moment," his father whispered.

"I still know a way to get it to them…" he said, showing that he had a moogle flute tucked into his pocket.

"Genius, my son… Print up an official letter and send it to them that way."

"Understood, Father." Mateus bowed his head. "Do be sure to keep arguing for the sake of our lovely little songbird."

"Anything to make you happy, son."


	47. Chapter 46: Resolve

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: *the notes are all in Japanese*

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Forty-six_

Canti and Kain waited for their fathers to stop having their loud discussion in the other room. She slumped against the wall uncomfortably, until Kain insisted that she slump against him and be comfortable instead. She laid her head on his shoulder and the two of them took up that entire bench by themselves.

All of the Warriors of the Water were scrambling around to get things answered, paperwork filed, and all other sorts of administrative duties. It wasn't as boring as sitting in a room of nothing but military cots, but watching them go back and forth was pretty damn boring. Some guys they'd seen before, other guys they hadn't. There wasn't much interesting in watching a whole bunch of people in the same uniform freak out about making such things were taken care of the way they were supposed to be.

"You sure you want to do this when you grow up?" Canti asked as she kept watching all the frantic activity in front of them.

Kain had one of his hands nestled in her curly blue hair, rubbing her scalp delicately. He knew it was a sensation she loved. Not because he'd seen someone do it, but because he'd seen it in a dream, and he wanted to test it out. The dream was right, as she'd never been that relaxed before. At least, not when things like this were going on. Usually, she'd have more anxiety in her system just by being around that much activity. "Are you kidding? Of course I want to hold you when I grow up."

"...that's not what I was…" she nuzzled against him. "Oh never mind."

It took Kain a minute, but he was completely distracted by how close Canti was to him, and about the fact that someone could see them being this close but it didn't seem like she gave two tugs of a rat's tail about it. "You were asking about being the Grand Dragoon."

"Yep."

"Like Father said. I didn't decide to be the Grand Dragoon. The tests have shown that it is what I am most suited for," he answered her softly. "We are all being trained to be what our potential is the highest for. You know that."

"I do know that," she replied. "But why is it that I was never given a place in society to train for?"

"Are you afraid that you don't know what you're supposed to do, like everyone else?"

Canti shook her head. "I'm not afraid of not having a place in our country, because I know that I'm destined to leave it. I just want to know why I wasn't included."

"Didn't you just say that you're destined to leave? Well that would be a reason why you weren't given a place. The tests know us better than we know ourselves. We don't know what we want. Humans can never make a decision. That's what Leviathan said, anyway," Kain said, continuing to massage her scalp.

"But… if that's the case, what would be the use of… this?" Canti asked, leaning into him even more. Dear Cosmos, she loved that sensation so much.

"This?"

"...the feelings we've developed for each other," she said. "The fact that I can't help wanting to be closer to you. In a world where everything is decided by those tests-"

"Father and Mother were not arranged to marry by some outside party. That isn't something the tests decide."

"Then it is possible for humans to make decisions. And for those decisions to matter," Canti insisted. "The one you marry, or if you decide not to marry the way Papa Cid has, is as important as the career we train to be ready for, isn't it?"

"Canti… I'm not sure I follow where you're going with all of this…"

She pulled away from him so she could look directly into his eyes as she was speaking. "We can make decisions regardless of what those tests tell us that we're supposed to be doing," she declared. Even though there were people all around that could easily hear what she was saying, she didn't care if they did. "If we can decide who to, or not to, marry, then there has to be more that we can do for ourselves without the tests. Who cares what the tests say?"

"I can see why you'd think that simply because yours was blank, but not everyone else has it that lucky," Kain said, staring right back at her. "I was given a high ranking position, one of the highest ranking available positions in our country and my entire family expects me to not just be ready for it the moment it becomes available, but to succeed in living up to the legacy of the Highwind family. You don't have that kind of pressure on you! You're lucky to be able to make decisions about your future! You're lucky that you weren't born into a family that expects so many things of you! You're lucky you were given to a man that has literally no expectations of himself so he doesn't put the world on your shoulders!"

"You think I'm lucky because I'm treated like I'm not even a part of this world?!" Canti cried, pulling away from him entirely. "When all I've ever wanted was to belong to something?!"

When Kain tried to wrap an arm around her, she pushed him away. She put her head in her hands, and fell into a harsh sob.

"...but you _do_ belong." He muttered. He couldn't help how bad he felt for lashing out at her like that over his own self-doubt. One of the things he treasured about her was how simple and happy she was.

"No," she said between sobs, "you said I don't!"

"I misspoke. Forgive me."

She couldn't bear to look at him. "Just…"

"I wasn't thinking. I was just lashing out at you because I'm angry at myself. Please…"

Canti turned to look at him, and as he sat there, his face was expressionless but tears streamed down his face. Kain's just stared out into nothingness, not bothering to wipe his tears away or cover the fact that he bore so much shame.

"...please forgive me."

"Kain…" She reached to wipe the tears from his face. "…you don't have to be the Grand Dragoon if you don't want to be. That's what I'm trying to tell you. If I can do literally anything, then so can you."

He blinked for a moment, as if he was turning his vision back on, and he saw that she was staring up at him. Tears still flowed down her face. "But my family, they want so much of me."

"You don't have to live up to their expectations," she said, sniffling a few times. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Live free, cousin. Be whoever you want. Don't be the Grand Dragoon because the whole world is telling you that's who you have to be."

"I've all ready spent so much of my time training… I've been drilled about being the Grand Dragoon so much that it's all I've really ever thought about, until…" Kain smiled as he continued. "…until I realized how much I love you."

She kept wiping his face, and he reached into his pocket to hand her a little cloth so he could wipe her face in return. "Kain…" she whispered, "…when I go to leave this country… will you come with me?"

"What?"

"Leave everything behind and come with me."

He didn't want to think about it. He was tired of doing nothing but training, all for one position that he didn't really want, but that was expected of him. Kain just nodded to her. "My home is where you are."

She leaned in again, this time facing him, until the tips of their noses touched. "I don't know what's out there. But I know that I can't face it alone. I need you, Kain. I love you."

They drew much closer, ready to unite themselves as one through a kiss, when suddenly-

"Mognet, kupo! Delivery for Cantirena Highwind!"

Canti rolled her eyes. " _Great_ timing, kupo," she grunted at it, as it was the first time she really wanted to have a kiss, taking the letter from the moogle. It was one of those official letters that came in the mail all the time back home instead of a personal letter on stationery. "Huh?" she ripped off the side of the envelope and read it, ignoring the moogle as it floated away. "…uh oh…"

"What's wrong?" Kain asked.

"This letter's from the senate," she said worriedly. She got up and walked back over to the room where the two Highwind brothers were still yelling at each other. "Papa Cid!"

Cid immediately turned to address her. "What is it, baby girl?"

She held up the letter. "I've been summoned by the senate!"

"What the hell for?" he asked, taking the letter to read it himself. "Oh. Oh I see. In that case, we all should go."

"All of us?" Richard asked. "Exactly what's going on here?"

"This says that because Leviathan is missing, they don't know what to do with the criminal, so they want Cantirena as the victim to give him the punishment she believes is best fitting," Cid explained.

Canti shook her head. "I… I don't want to go."

"Because you don't want to see him again?" Richard bent down to ruffle her hair gently. "You don't have to worry about that. I know that he's securely locked away. He can't hurt you ever again."

"I don't want to look at him… I don't want to…" she backed away from her uncle and shook her head. "Please, Uncle Richard, Papa Cid, I don't want to face him! He scares me!"

"Even with all my power, dear, I don't think I can refuse the Senate," Richard said, folding up the letter and placing it within his pocket. "I'm sorry. It looks like you have to. Even if you just walk in there and say how you want him dealt with, and leave. That's fine. But if they want you to tell them, then you're going to have to."

"But… but…"

"There's nothin' to be afraid of," Cid tried to reassure her, but it wasn't working very well.

Kain had come into the room. He noticed that Canti had backed away from them as far as she could, clinging to herself defensively. "Canti," he said, slowly making his way towards her, "Would it be easier if I went with you?"

"They probably won't let you come onto the stand with me."

"I don't care. Father says that by Leviathan's own order, I have been ordered as your personal guard!" he said loudly. "I'll tell them that if they try to send me away. No one in the senate would ever go against the Headmaster's orders, would they?"

"The boy's got a point," Cid nodded. "We may not be able to go with you, but he would be able to."

Kain took her hands in his and tried to smile at her. "I know it's scary for you. It'll be scary for me, too." While he wasn't afraid of any man, he had to say something to calm her down. "To see that kind of pervert up close, and decide what should happen to him… we'll face it together."

"Thank you, Kain…" she said, grasping around him as tightly as she could.

"Father," Kain looked over at Richard. "Should we prepare a carriage to the Senate?"

"...it's actually much easier than that. The Warriors of the Water's training facility is underneath the Administrative Building. We can walk right there," Richard replied. "Let's get these two ready, Cid."


	48. Chapter 47: Retrial

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: *throws the files up in the air and lets the papers float down on their own*

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Forty-seven_

After Canti and Kain were both properly dressed as well as they could be considering they were currently staying in a military training facility, Richard and Cid, clad head to toe in their Warriors of the Water uniforms, escorted them through the building, up some elevators, and through what felt like a million different hallways. The architect of this place was not a sane man, at least, that's what Canti believed she heard her papa mutter somewhere around the halfway point of the trek between the underground barracks and the main foyer of the Administrative building.

Since she was the one that had been given the summons, she had to approach the front desk and let the secretary know that she was there. Canti was nervous, but with Kain and both of their fathers there with her, she felt a lot stronger. She wasn't facing this alone. She had her whole family with her.

"Ex… excuse me?" she said, approaching the secretary's desk. "I… was given th-this letter?" She held up the letter, and the secretary nodded at her.

"I'll let them know you're here and call for an escort," the secretary replied, typing a few things on the Sphere terminal at her desk. She pressed a button, which made a buzzing sort of sound.

"I…" Canti took in a deep breath and tried not to stutter anymore. "I don't need an escort. I have one. The Grand Dragoon stands at my side."

"That's not what I mean," the secretary's very nasal voice spoke again in that condescending tone every government worker has ever had. The glasses on the very tip of her nose made her look much older than she actually was. "You cannot go in the Senate without either being directly related to a Senator or a guardian. You'll need an escort. Besides, you won't even know where it is, now will you?"

Kain rolled his eyes. "Must you always talk down to others?"

"I wasn't talking down to anyone."

"Yes, you were. You saw that a little girl has come into your high end office, scared out of her wits, and decided to exploit that fear for a tiny little power trip," Kain snapped at her. He was taking his appointing to the position of being Canti's guard more seriously than either Richard or Cid had given him credit for, and while no one could see it as his face was covered by his helmet, Richard was grinning at that. He couldn't publicly condone such behavior, but he'd always wanted to tell off those secretary types in the past.

Canti glared at him, as if to tell him silently that he was going too far, but Kain was very insistent on pointing out the woman's obvious arrogance. She waited. Who was going to come to escort her to the room where all the Senators were having their meeting?

"Hello, Barbara," the familiar voice of Mateus came from the hall. He stepped out into the light, present himself to the Highwind family. "I see the whole family is here. However, the Senate only needs you, Canti."

She shook her head. "I'm not going alone."

"Of course not. I'll be escorting you," Mateus replied kindly, offering his hand to her. "Come along. This need not be so overly complicated."

While Canti was tempted to just take his hand to make it that much easier, she was determined to stand up for herself more. "No. You may deny both the Grand Dragoon and the captain with him, but you cannot deny Kain," she said in a tone that reminded Kain of a dream he'd had. She had stood up to him, using that exact same voice. Canti had been that way before, or perhaps, he dreamed that one day, she will be much more in control of herself in the face of anyone that would try to assert their authority over her.

"He is not-"

"Because I say he is, he is!" Canti declared. "By the executive order of Leviathan himself, Kain has been made into my personal guardian!"

 _So_ _ **that**_ _was the final order I'd heard so much muttering about,_ Mateus thought, staring at her. He looked at that face, those eyes, determined to one day take that authoritative tone right out of her. How dare she raise her voice at him like that? He was perfect, and while she was powerful, she was less than he was! "…how assertive of you," he mumbled. "Where is the paper that gives such an order? If you cannot prove it, he cannot come with you."

Richard reached into a pocket on the inside of his armor and brought out a paper with Leviathan's royal seal on it. "Here, young master," he said, though he wished he could be mocking in his tone, it would not have befitted the Grand Dragoon's image if he had.

Mateus read over the paper. That would make his plans much more difficult to pull off using this particular scheme. He'd thought it over and planned it all out, and now he had to play even this by ear. Which was something he hated having to do. Improvising was so unprofessional, and certainly not befitting the Emperor he knew he would one day be. "Very well. But you other two must wait here. Canti, bring your guardian. We'll need this so you can go in there, too…" he handed the paper back to Kain and turned around. "Please, follow me."

"Do what you believe is right," Cid said behind her. "Don't worry about what anyone else thinks, baby girl."

"Papa," Canti looked back at him.

"Whatever you decide is what the rest of the world will just have to deal with. One way or another," he continued. "No choice is good or bad unless you believe it is."

"Papa Cid… thank you…"

The hall Mateus led them through was darker than Canti thought it should have been. She didn't really want to go in there. The only reason she did was because Kain was holding her hand. They followed him until they were at a very large, ornately decorated door with a water dragon carved into the wood. Canti recognized it. That same dragon was a statue in the backyard of the Highwind Manor. Kain mentioned something about it being the symbol of the Warriors of the Water, so what was it doing on the door of the Senate?

Mateus turned around to address Canti and didn't give Kain any looks at all. "Before we go in," he said. "Do you perhaps need to use the ladies room?"

"Thank you for being considerate, but that's such an odd question. Why wait until we're this far in?" Canti asked. "Let me do what I came here to do. I wanna get back to what I was doing before I had to come here."

"And what was that?"

"Is what I was doing really of your concern?"

Mateus started to lean in towards her. "Everything you do is of my concern. I want to get to know you better, after all."

Canti stepped back. She couldn't handle just how creepy he was being. "Open the door all ready," she said angrily. "I've had enough of being here."

There she was again, raising her voice at him. In his dreams, she was always so obedient, so submissive. He would break her of such attitude, given the opportunity. "Very well," he said curtly, turning around again so he could open the door.

Inside was the huge room of Senators from all around the country. Mateus knew them all, but Canti didn't know any of them. Kain had seen some of them attend events at the Highwind Manor some time ago, but none of them really spoke to him. They were always there to converse with the Grand Dragoon, not with his promising son. Mateus walked in first and announced who had come, and was almost immediately interrupted with inquiry as to why she had company for this. Kain handed the order from Leviathan to a Senator, who explained to them everything that had been discussed with Mateus before.

Mateus directed her to go stand in a little box thing down towards the bottom of the room. The incline going down was steep. Canti climbed into the stand that she was directed to, and when she reached for Kain's hand to bring him with her, it magically closed on its own.

"Forgive us," a Senator said from some direction that she couldn't quite detect. "This is for your own safety, child."

"Excuse me!" Kain exclaimed. "I am her personal guard, you will allow me to pass along with her! I demand passage!"

"You may be here with her to help her confront this, but for her safety, we cannot allow anyone to be in the stand with her," another Senator said behind him. "We have the criminal and will bring him in so he may face your judgment, little one. Just in case he breaks free somehow, we need to protect you."

"But you aren't concerned for _my_ safety," Kain muttered.

"You're her guardian, aren't you? Act like it," Mateus retorted sharply, walking past the stand and over to his father's place within the Senate body.

"Kain, please, do not be so rude." Canti said as she turned to him. "I understand the motivation behind this. I do not wish to face him, either. He scares me. Just… allow it for the moment. We'll do what we must and it will all be over."

"This whole process has been nothing but rude," Kain grunted. "But if you insist, then I'll abstain the complaints. I just wanted to be with you."

"You _are_ here with me…" she smiled before beginning to address the Senate body. "…exactly what do you wish from me, ladies and gentlemen of the Senate? What am I supposed to do for you?"

Senator Palamecia answered with, "We wish you to pass your judgment upon the man who tried to accost you. Whatever you decide is what we will go with. Leviathan is not here to decide his fate, and we've never had a case like this within the history of our dear country." That was probably the only figure in the room she recognized, other than Auron, Hikari's father, who was standing near another senator in a similar way that Kain was to her.

"Decide his fate?" Canti asked, shaking her head. "Like, put him to death, or something?"

"If that is what you believe he deserves, then yes," he said, trying to be as coaxing as possible. The Palamecian family wanted Borghen put to death, Mateus especially. "If you believe he could re-enter society, we'll begin to rehabilitate him. There are many punishments possible, and the only limit to them is your imagination, little one."

"Oh…" There was a lot of responsibility thrust into her hands, having to decide the fate of a man. Regardless if he tried to kidnap her, he was still a person. Sure, he needed to be scared from trying to touch another child, but at the same time… she was lost in thought. Canti had no idea what was right in this case. Was death justifiable? Was it something the man really deserved? How could they force a child to decide something like this?! "…a-all right. B…bring him out so we can… do this…"

Within a few moments, the criminal was dragged out by men wearing knight's armor that belonged to the military police. He wore chains around his neck and every limb, and they didn't let him walk at his own pace, as he was a smallish man with short legs. But it was unmistakable, this was the man who grabbed her on the way home from Garden. Canti stared at him, and the longer she did, the more scared she became. Borghen stood between the two biggest men who held onto his chains.

"Before I pass judgment," Canti said. "I wish to hear what he has to say."

"Do not waste your time," Senator Palamecia said quickly.

"It is her decision," Kain insisted, growing that much more impatient with this entire scenario. "That's why you brought her all the way here. Am I wrong?!"

Canti crossed her arms. "Let me hear what he has to say…" she said to one of the MP guards. "…please. I can't decide what to do with him without hearing him out."

"As you wish," one said, pulling a cloth out of Borghen's mouth. "He is free to speak."

She stared at him. This man who had given her so much fear since the incident. He did not seem intimidating in his current state. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Borghen appeared resolved not to say anything.

"Answer the lady!" one of the guards said, smacking him on the back of the head with the gauntlet on his wrist. Everyone close by could hear the metallic sound that came of hitting him in the skull at such force, and it made Canti cringe.

"I… I did not want to do it," Borghen said quietly. "Please, my lady, do not kill me! I do not have the taste for children!"

"You grabbed my cousin!" Kain yelled at him, ready kill the man himself. "You tried to take her with you to do Cosmos knows what!"

"Yes. I did," Borghen said, nodding. "I did indeed grab the precious little girl… and I know I've terrified her. She'll be afraid of me for a long time, perhaps the rest of her life. I apologize for that."

Canti didn't understand it very well. "If you do not have the taste for children, then why would you have tried to take me?"

"...I am a humble servant… my master-"

One of the guards hit Borghen's head again, causing the disheveled man to hit the floor in a bloody mess.

"Why did you do that?!" Canti asked. "We could have had our answers if only we listened to him! Perhaps he is not at fault!"

"You've heard enough. Sentence him all ready," Senator Palamecia commanded.

"I want to know what he had to say," Canti said, her anger finally showing through. "Because of that, I cannot have him put to death!" She shook, letting her rage course through her, tears falling from her eyes. She'd never know exactly what was going on if she couldn't hear that final bit. "Fine… I've decided the punishment I find fitting! I want him in the maximum security prison facility possible to recover from his injuries, and the moment he can speak again, I will go there and talk to him myself!"

The entire senate was in an uproar over the decision. Some people agreed that it was a smart idea, but Senator Palamecia was the head of a very outspoken group against the decision, calling for his immediate execution. When Kain reached to take her down from the stand, the door swung open and she hopped right down with his help.

Kain wiped her tears away. "Let's get the hell out of this place," he whispered.

"Yes, let's," she whispered back.

They didn't wait for Mateus to come to lead them back to where their fathers were waiting. They didn't want to bother with any more of this politician nonsense.

"Wait!" Mateus called out to them, chasing after the duo as they left the kiva.

"Oh shut up," Kain grunted. "We've nothing more we need to do here."

His biggest chance was slipping away from him. He had to act fast! Mateus was tired of waiting. He wanted his ticket to greatness at his side all ready. He pulled out his staff and cast a spell. Kain suddenly went numb, causing Canti to stop moving forward to take care of his sudden status ailment.

"P... paralysis!" Kain said, flopping onto the floor. "Where did this… come from…"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you," Canti said, placing her hands on his side. She used her magic to cast Basuna, and the prickling feeling that held his muscles in place began to fade away, but she wasn't trained enough with her magical power to cast such a spell and remain mostly functional, and it caused her to become dizzy. She flopped down next to him, and Kain, not having anything to help her with the lack of magic power, didn't know what else to do from here. He began to gather her up in his arms.

Mateus, still standing in the shadows, noticed he wasn't going to be able to take her without taking him, too. So he cast the paralysis spell once more. Kain did all he could to resist it, but he fell right alongside his cousin. He then cast a blind spell on them both so they wouldn't see what was coming their way.

"Canti!" Kain shouted. "Canti?!"

"...Kain?" her reply came very tiredly. "I'm so… sleepy…"

"Someone must have set a trap!" Kain said. "Father! Uncle Cid! It's like we were hit with a Malboro's Bad Breath or-"

Mateus soon was joined by two of the military police. "Cast status ailments on them," he said quiet enough to keep his voice from being identified. "But do not harm them. Take them to…"

Kain didn't hear where he said. One of the Senators must have something against the Warriors of the Water, he reasoned. He tried so hard to make out what was going on around him. He felt his body being carried, and he could hear some voice telling Canti to just fall asleep. Why hadn't his father or uncle come to see them when he called for them?! Where were they?!


	49. Chapter 48: Rechained

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: Someone's folded all of the notes into little origami! Look, here's one that's in the shape of a poo emoji. How did they manage that. Look, it even has a little sticker on it. Says 'your story'. Huh. Wow.

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Forty-eight_

Kain opened his eyes, the memory of his dreams still fresh in his mind. He didn't try to move immediately, as the thoughts of the adventures of the future… or the events of some distant past… still had a hold on him. Canti used to be a lot louder, a lot more rambunctious. Or, she was going to grow into someone like that. He really couldn't tell, and these visions, if he could call them that, were nothing short of confusing. He knew that she and Minwu had some sort of bond, but watching them have cute little moments while he himself kept his distance and refused to speak up only made him sad. He loved her in that dream, and he loved her now.

The room around him was frightfully dark. He couldn't see anything above him, though he could tell he was lying down on some mattress. There were sheets between him and the cotton top, at the very least. He was cold… Kain felt his scalp itch, so he reached with his left hand to try to scratch it, but his left hand wouldn't reach all the way to his head. As he moved his hand, trying to pull it closer to him, he heard metallic clinking.

"...wha?" he gasped. The more he moved his arm, he realized it was tied down. Or, more accurately, chained down. "What?!"

"I'm dreadfully sorry," a voice that came from a source he couldn't see said. "I'm keeping the lights off, as your dear cousin is still asleep. Please remain quiet so she can keep sleeping."

Kain tried to ascertain where that voice was coming from. It didn't sound like someone actually talking to him, but like the voice had been speaking to him through a tunnel or something. "I don't know who you are," he said, "But you'll pay for what you've done. The entire Highwind family will come after you." His scalp still itched, so he used the free hand he had. What an idiot captor, he thought, giving him one free hand like that. Sure, Kain was left-handed, and all of his combat techniques were primarily done with his left hand, but he still had strength in his right arm. He'd trained both sides of his body equally, and if anyone came over this way to gloat, he had a way to defend himself.

"Yes… they will. I'm quite well aware of that. Which is why I have brought you _here_."

Kain figured out at that point that the voice was coming from something similar to the intercom system used at Garden upon hearing it the second time. "What do you want? Money? My father isn't the type to pay ransom fees. He's much more likely to come shove a spear right up your ass." Normally, he didn't like speaking that way, but to someone who'd gone out of their way to capture both him and his cousin, he wasn't going to hold back. There was no reason to. "If this is some Bunansa scheme, you aren't going to get the Wind Crystal this way."

"Only those whose minds are trapped within this tiny little world could ever seek that tiny amount of power."

Kain stopped to think about what the voice said. Trapped within this tiny little world? In his dreams, Kain had seen worlds far beyond this one. He had accompanied Canti far and wide through all sorts of environs, defending her and fighting at her side against any and all sorts of threats. Did this criminal know about the outside world somehow? "…you want outside the barrier," he said. He wondered how much the culprit actually knew about the outside? Considering they were taken from the Senate Building, it had to have been someone in the Senate itself that had been using that Borghen character. "But why?"

"There is untold power outside the barrier. And according to the secret documents from Leviathan's personal sphere terminal, your cousin is the key to unlocking it all."

"...that explains a lot," Kain muttered. "The constant protection, going overboard because of the possibility of her disappearing…"

"You must have noticed it. How different she is. She's not from here. She's actually from out there. That's why she's adopted. That's why she's Leviathan's personal little favorite. The barrier she manifested during her initiation ceremony at Garden was just a little taste of the power within her tiny little frame." There was a creepy calm chuckle that followed.

Kain's eyes widened. " _ **MATEUS**_!" He hadn't been this angry in quite some time. Even though he didn't like Mateus and couldn't stand him, he didn't hate his classmate outright. And he did his best to tolerate the Senator's son for Canti's sake, as the two shared a class. But this? He would stoop to kidnapping to achieve his goals?!

"Took you this long to figure me out? You never were that smart, were you? Oh, Kain. I'm so hurt."

"What use does the Palamecian family have in taking me and my cousin hostage?!" Kain yelled, hoping that it would cause Canti to awake, so she could also start making as much noise as possible. That would be a great way to have them found and rescued from this situation.

"This isn't for my family, Kain Highwind. This is for _me_."

Kain could feel the bed he was on moving around him to his left. Even though he was chained to the bed, he shared it with someone else. He heard sharp breathing, like whoever it was next to him was starting to breath for the first time after being underwater for far too long. It came with a little whimpering. "Canti? Is that you?"

"Kain?" that voice was unmistakable.

"I'm right here…" he started to reach for her, but something that he couldn't see was preventing him from touching her. "…what? Where are you?" It was so dark that he couldn't see where she was, and he didn't understand why he could feel her so close to him even though they were on the same bed.

"I don't know… I can hear your voice, and I know you're here because I can feel you right there next to me…" she answered softly. "What is going on?"

"Ah, now that the two of you are both awake, I can turn on the lights."

There were sparce lights, more closer to Canti than to Kain. But there was enough light to explain their situation. Kain turned to his left, seeing the chain that held him in place, and also the clear wall that separated him from his cousin. The bed went underneath the wall, as did the sheets, but there was no way he could reach through that barrier to touch her. There wasn't much on Kain's side of the room, but there was at least a table that he could make out on her opposite side. When he put his hands up against the barrier, she put hers up against it right on top of his, revealing that her hands were not chained in place. _Thank Cosmos for that,_ he thought, _that gives her a chance to break out and get help._ The expression on her face, contorted with all sort of emotion that she wasn't able to properly voice, just devastated him completely. The fact that there was literally nothing he could do for her at this point made him ache so much he thought his heart was going to shatter.

"There we are."

"What is this?!" Canti asked, panicked. She stared back at Kain, trying to use all her weight to push against the barrier.

"Calm down," Kain said. "I know this is bad, but we'll get out of it one way or another." He didn't know how, at the moment, but he'd figure it out. Or she would. That was also possible.

She banged her fists on the barrier, trying to break it. Kain didn't know she was that strong, but she kept trying to slam against it. The wall rumbled as she kept trying. There were no signs of breaking under the pressure. "Kain!" she cried out, tears falling from her eyes. "I… I can't… I can't break it!"

"It's all right," Kain said, trying his best to get her to calm down. Who knew that their captor would do to her if she tried to resist too much.

The door to the room opened with a very loud metallic creak. In walked Mateus Palamecia, holding a stack of books between his hands. He stood there where both of them could see him, and when Canti was going to charge at him in all her anger, she slammed against a clear barrier that she didn't see. The door slowly closed, as it was extremely heavy, with a sound that reminded Kain of a gong that had lost its ability to crash.

"Quick to temper," Mateus said, shaking his head. "We'll have to remedy that." He kneeled down and shoved the books, one at a time, underneath the barrier. "Now to explain why you're both here."

"I don't care why I'm here," Canti said, picking herself up from where she had fallen after slamming so hard against that barrier. "I'm going to get out of here and I'm taking Kain with me!"

"You can try that all day, little songbird, but you aren't going to break this barrier," Mateus replied. "I brought you some textbooks. I need you to study them and memorize them, so you might be able to help me."

"Why would I help you?" Canti growled.

Mateus sighed. There was no way she was going to cooperate if all he did was stand around talking. He walked over to in front of Kain's bed and pressed a button. Suddenly something above Kain sent a bolt of lightning straight through the young man and caused him to flop over in pain. "Is this clear enough for you?" he asked.

"Kain?!" Canti turned back to look at him, and he had been zapped with at least a third level thunder spell out of nowhere. She pounded on the barrier between them. "Talk to me! Let me know you're all right!"

"He will be, once that static feeling passes and he's able to speak again," Mateus said, going back to look directly at her. "Now, dear little outsider, it's your destiny to cross the barrier. To go back the way you came. You will take me to the place that belongs to me."

"Place that belongs to you?" Canti shook her head, bewildered.

"I have seen it in my dreams! You are always there with me when I see it, so you will take me there! You know where it is!" Mateus commanded.

Kain blinked a few times as he overheard that. Mateus had seen something involving the outside in his dreams, the same way he did. He tried to remember what he had seen in his dreams. Were there any related to Mateus? He looked at the chain on his wrist again, wondering how he would break free. And then it hit him. He'd seen something like this, too. He'd been chained in the service of… he gasped. "…Mateus."

"Yes?"

"If you've seen of the worlds outside in your dreams, then… did you ever… see yourself chaining me to a throne?"

There was no reply, but Mateus started to think about it. Ever since he had that dream the first time, he was convinced that he loved Kain in some deep, dark way. He wanted to experience that rush for real. That's why he cornered him in summer camp, trying to fasten the dragoon-in-training to the table in their camp cabin when no one was around. He was driven to see it through to fruition. But then again, the night after seeing Canti able to use that barrier with no training during the initiation, he dreamt of her belonging to him and using her powers to fight in his war to take over the entire world they lived in. Wherever it was. A lot of the memories were completely missing, and some things were just flashes of events, but Mateus was more than convinced that this was all real. It was a vision of the future. He believed, no, he knew it was so.

"So. Canti. Come and pick up these books. I had them lifted right from the Wu household, so I know they're authentic," Mateus said as nicely as he could. "If I don't see you studying, then I'll have to take it out on the one you love the most."

Canti stared at Mateus. "Y-you know?"

"Everyone that looks at you can tell. You aren't just family. One day you'll be lovers. I won't allow you to marry…"

"Who says you have a say?!" both Canti and Kain demanded at the same time. Then they looked at each other and blushed.

"You'll be coming back with me to that place," Mateus said sternly. "You will be mine. Lending your powers to me. As my Empress."

"I wouldn't dare marry you…" Canti grunted.

"That doesn't mean I wouldn't let you keep him. You'll need a personal guard to look after you, and doesn't he just do a _stellar_ job at it?"

As Canti's anger boiled, Kain couldn't retort to that. He all ready felt terrible about the situation, but Mateus wasn't wrong. He watched her flip him off with both hands and heard her say some pretty obscene things at him. He didn't realize Canti had a foul part in her body until hearing some of the things she'd rattled off. It reminded him of how Canti was in his dreams when someone set her off. She didn't hold back a single thing. It seemed like she was growing into that person he saw in his dreams.

"Canti," Kain said, interrupting her rant at Mateus.

"What?!"

"...do as he tells you," he continued, closing his eyes. "If he's willing to hurt me, then he could hurt you, too."

She growled at him. "He can't do this to me! He can't do this to _you_!"

"At the moment, he can," he said again. "Besides. You are going to have to learn Mysidian anyway, aren't you? The tests… or, rather, Leviathan had it ordered, didn't he? You might as well study and save yourself some grief. I'm… I'm here with you."

Canti gasped upon hearing that.

Mateus smiled. "He does love you. Listen to him." He turned to leave, blowing a kiss to both of them. "I'll be back in a few hours to bring you something to eat. Hit the books." He walked out of the room and the door closed just as slowly.

"I might study this material, but NOT because I was kidnapped and commanded to do it," Canti said, picking up the books from the floor and taking them to the table. "But because I know I have to."

Kain sighed, shaking his head. "I wish there was more I could do."


	50. Chapter 49: Reconvolve

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: Shout out to Writer of Worlds! *strikes a pose*

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Forty-nine_

Leviathan landed back into his own little pocket dimension with little to no issues with the transfer. He took a deep breath, knowing that this place was lost in an overwhelming scenario that they'd never had to deal with without him leading them, but he wasn't prepared to find his personal secretary, Betsy, lying on the floor in a puddle of her own blood right outside his office. He leaned down to check her vitals, and she was far beyond being revived with magic or blessed Phoenix feathers. He checked the wound, trying to see exactly how she was killed, and there were so many wounds, he imagined that it had to have been someone like Gilgamesh with his multiple arms and weapons at his disposal. The eidolon picked himself up and headed to his office, only to find that it was ransacked. His Sphere terminal was turned on. It flickered violently back and forth as if the system had something completely wrong about it. Just what the hell happened between the time that the Senate was having the attempted kidnapper on trial for his crimes and now? He wasn't in transition between the layer of reality that long, was he?

Leviathan picked up the phone on his desk. "Patch me through to the Grand Dragoon!" he yelled into it.

A voice on the other side of the line responded with a very dry, emotionless, "The Grand Dragoon is dead, sir."

His stomach fell away as his heart began to pound so hard that he could feel it in every part of his body. He could barely hear anything else but the constant drum-like thumping. "Then what of the Captain-"

"Sir. We are currently trying to find every member of the Highwind family, but they've all gone missing or worse," came the reply. "The Grand Dragoon, his brother Captain Highwind, Lady Erina, and the two children… the extended family is nowhere to be seen, either."

"How can that be?" Leviathan asked. "Who exactly am I speaking to?!"

"...my name is Cidolfus Demen Bunansa, but most people just call me the good Doctor Cid," the voice said with a slight chuckle. "Perhaps if you hadn't stolen the Wind Crystal from us, we wouldn't have decided to completely destroy all of your prized family. Don't worry, I know the children are still alive. Perhaps if they're ever set free from where they are currently, they can take the decimated Highwind Manor and make a home of it. Not that there's much left."

"I'll have you drawn and quartered, you miserable pile of-"

The voice on the line hung up, leaving Leviathan wondering what to do now. He paced back and forth in his office before deciding that he needed to fix his Sphere terminal before it completely messed up and he lost all his progress. He also needed to get a message to Einar, who might have been able to fix this, but he knew it was more than dangerous to completely rewrite reality without shutting down the system and quite possibly cut the energy from the pods which kept all of Cantirena and her party alive back in the Feymarch.

"Perhaps it was destiny for Richard to die," Leviathan thought aloud. "Kain's father is not known for surviving past him being this age… considering most of reality here is written by the collective memories of all inside the pods…" He replaced wires that had fallen out of their ports and slowly it all came back into working order. There had to be something he could do about all this, even if there was no way to undo a lot of the damage that happened while he was gone. He was lost in thought as he fixed the computer back to working order.

It didn't take long before his phone rang again. This was an emergency number, and most people communicated through the Sphere, so it seemed odd to get another call. The only place he remembered being connected to it was the Grand Dragoon's desk. Leviathan picked it up.

"If you've called again to gloat, Doctor-"

"It's me," came a much more familiar voice. Leviathan recognized it immediately. "I know you're wondering how I'm able to contact you. I'm currently in the deepest part of the Warriors training facility."

"Captain Highwind… I'm relieved to hear from you. The head of the Bunansa family was-"

"It was a trap to take the kids away from us," Cid's voice said, and Leviathan could tell the man wanted to do nothing but curl up and cry. "The trial was a sham. The Senators… they want to seize power, and since you've been missing, they've taken it."

"Their Doctor is a member of the Senate, too, if I'm not mistaken."

"Exactly. If you hadn't given that Executive Order, they would have taken my poor baby girl alone… I hate saying we're lucky for having Kain captured, too, but… at least he's there with her," Cid had broken down all ready. He couldn't hold back anymore. "There are men still loyal to my brother that are with me, but many of the Warriors were killed the moment the kids were taken captive. I don't know how to fight back… I don't know how to lead them."

Leviathan nodded, even though he knew Cid couldn't see his reaction. He was sad that his beloved little child, the one that all of this world was built to rebuild, had to face something so horrifying. He wished he knew what to suggest. There was no way he could leave and direct Einar again under these circumstances. "It's all right, Cid. Without the Grand Dragoon, the Warriors aren't going to listen to most of anyone without me. I need you to keep this emergency line open. I'll deal with the Senate myself. I'll send an Executive Order through the Sphere giving commands to the Warriors, you just carry the message. Don't worry. I know Canti and Kain are both alive. We'll save them."

"H-how do you know they're alive?"

"There's a lot about this place that you don't know. Your daughter, and your nephew, are vital to not just my personal mission, but to this entire country… Stay put, Cid. I'll be in touch."

"Yes, sir."

Leviathan hung up the phone and started to type on the keyboard of the Sphere. There was more work to be done than he thought.

…

How long had it been since they had seen the outside world? Without knowing what time it was, and without windows, there was no way of knowing how much time had passed since they'd been forced into this tiny room with barriers to keep them apart. There wasn't much sound in the room, either. The springs in the bed moved every time one of them were to move on it, and the other could feel each movement even though the barrier was there.

Canti studied the books she'd been given, but without someone to practice the verbals on, there was no way she could understand how the words were supposed to be pronounced. She didn't say anything about that yet. Her stomach rumbled loudly and she couldn't help but daydream about dragon meat pizza, or deep fried chocobo strips or even that huge cake that she had eaten at her ceremony. Anything other having having to learn this language that more confused her than made actual sense. She yawned, as she was bored as hell, but she didn't want anything to happen to Kain. She couldn't even bring herself to look at him, even though the only thing she wanted was to curl up against him and take comfort in his natural warmth.

Kain slumped against the barrier, his most coordinated hand chained to the barrier itself. His wrist really was hurting from having to wear that clasp on it for so long. At this rate, it was going to chaff his skin, which was a painful sensation he'd rather not have to deal with. It was like wearing armor without anything underneath to protect the skin - and only led to itching, peeling, and pain. Every once in a while, he turned around to get a good look at Canti, who at least had something to read. Every moment felt like an eternity to him. There was no distraction from their current situation. All he could do was wonder where his father and uncle were. All he could think about was trying to get out of here and getting on with a somewhat normal life, even though after all of this, was there even a chance of having a normal life? He knew that Mateus had some sort of vendetta against him that he didn't quite understand, but there was no way that pompous asshole could have hatched this entire thing on his own. He had to have some sort of help to accomplish this. Kain scratched at an itch he had on his leg. Who would want to take out the Highwind family? Well, there were the Bunansas, and they were always mad as hell over the Wind Crystal being taken from them after they discovered it. So was there an alliance between the Bunansas and the Palamecias? There really wasn't much he could do but speculate with how little he knew about the situation.

After they spent Cosmos knows how long in there in the silence, the door opened again. Mateus stood there with two plates of food, still steaming. Kain didn't expect him to give them anything decent since there was no social pressure to impress when they all ready were locked up with no way to escape. Even though Canti was ravenous for something to eat, she didn't turn to face him at all. She needed to appear focused on what she was doing.

"Time to eat~" Mateus chimed. "Take a break, darling. You'll pass out if you push yourself, and we need to make the most of every moment." He slid Kain's plate underneath the barrier and moved it close enough to where even if he was chained, he could still get it. "I've watched you both eat at lunch, I'm pretty sure of what you will eat. For Kain, I've brought roast chocobo breast and greens, and I've even included a cookie for you being such a good sport."

"Fuck you…" Kain grunted back at him.

"You'll be hungry at some point. I won't make you eat it now," he said, turning to Canti's barrier. "Come now, darling. I won't have you falling ill." Mateus put his hand up to the barrier, and it faded for a moment, allowing him to step through it.

Canti turned her head, staring in disbelief. He stepped into her cell? That meant she could use his hand to open it and get out! She stood up, ready to mount an all out offense.

"I know that you're thinking, you naughty girl," Mateus said, pushing her shoulder to make her sit right back down. "You won't be attacking me to open the barrier for you." He put the plate in front of her. "Sit. Eat. _Enjoy_ it. The kitchens here aren't as great as the ones back at my estate, but they've got some decent chefs around here."

Canti stared at the plate. It contained a large cut of steak, a huge mound of mashed potatoes, steamed gyshal greens, and a large piece of devil's food cake. It was something meant for the lord of a manor, not a prisoner. "This is-"

"Like I said. I will see to your every need," he sat on her side of the bed so he could watch her eat. "As long as you obey."

"There's a kitchen here… with chefs," Canti said, picking up her fork. She could see that if she didn't start eating, he was going to start shoving it into her face. Those eyes weren't going to let her make any sort of wrong move. "That means we aren't in a prison."

"Oh, you're absolutely right," Mateus said. "You aren't. I wonder what else you're intelligent enough to figure out."

"...that you're in complete control," she admitted aloud, taking a bite of the potatoes as she stared directly at him. They weren't instant potatoes. These were real potatoes. Canti had potatoes made at school, and those were virtually flavorless. These tasted much like the ones that Papa Cid had made for her, and she could totally tell there was butter mixed in there. "These… taste homemade."

"They are indeed~ It all is. Just wait until you eat the cake. It's to die for."

Kain was internally screaming all sorts of obscenities at Mateus, wanting to kill him. He couldn't handle it. The fact that he stepped into that tiny little chamber like that and gave her no escape frightened him. He was sitting on the bed, the same bed that Kain was sitting on! What he wouldn't give for this barrier to go down so he could drive that fork Canti was using right into the young master's eyes…

"Canti," Mateus said quietly, crossing his legs. "There is something I would like you to do for me."

"There's more?" she asked, still eating.

"Oh there's so much more…" he answered. "…but I'll let you finish eating first. You'll need your hands and mouth free."

Kain turned back to the barrier, pounding his fists against it. "You touch her, you're a dead man!" he shouted angrily. "I'll kill you!"


	51. Chapter 50: Reviolation

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

 _ **TRIGGER WARNING: ACTUAL SEXUAL TORTURE.**_

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Fifty_

Canti wasn't a big fan of meat. She'd eat it, but having it as such a thick slice of steak on her plate turned her off of it a bit. She liked it with other things, on top of other things. Her Papa would have known not to give her something like this. She started to eat the cake on her plate instead.

"Why are you not eating the steak?" Mateus asked, staring at her. "That's prime bee-"

"I don't really… like steak," she said hesitantly. "Texture of the meat. It's thick. Would be hard to chew."

"I'll cut it for you," he said smoothly.

Canti shook her head. "I'm sorry, I know you went through something to get it and bring it to me, but I'd rather you give the steak to Kain. He loves meat."

"Without protein, your muscles will atrophy," he disagreed. "I will not have your muscles fading away." He came to her, pressing his body against hers. It made her uncomfortable to see him cutting it up like that. "You will eat this, I don't care how small the pieces have to be."

"I don't want it," she said, trying to pull away from the table. "I'll just eat the cake and give the rest to Kain!"

"What _you_ want, darling, doesn't matter anymore," he said, stabbing a few bite-sized pieces with his fork and pointing it at her mouth. "Either you eat it on your own or I'll feed it to you." She took the fork and sniffed the meat. It smelled strongly of the spices it was seasoned with. He stepped back just a little to allow her the room to eat on her own. "Take your time. I don't want to see you choke."

Canti frowned, pushing the plate away. "I don't want it!" she said much more forcefully. "I don't like meat that much. It feels weird in my mouth!"

Mateus sighed, standing up. "I suppose I'll have to go send a Thundaga up your beloved's ass before you listen to me, won't I?" he asked softly, starting to walk out. "You don't have to be so angry about it, I'll do it without you yelling at me."

She reached for the knife that he had cut up that steak with, turning to block him from leaving her cell. "You won't hurt him anymore," she declared. Even though she was shaking, she tried to be confident. Oh, if only it was a spear in her hand rather than just a table knife. "You'll… you'll let us out of here this instant!"

He shook his head. "Now isn't this a surprise. I never expected you to actually try to threaten me!" Mateus laughed. "You're quite charming, but now I see. You won't be swayed by me hurting him… you need me to hurt _you_."

The way he said that filled Kain with dread. "Canti, no! Just eat the damn meat!"

"She will. She just needs some persuasion, is all," Mateus said, leaning closer to her. "Come on, darling, if you're going to attack me, then get it over with all ready. If you aren't, stop wasting our time."

She shook beneath him, unable to even swing the knife. His body was against hers again, and even though she wanted to be confident, it fell away. Canti had never faced anything like this before, and the terror that ran through her was impossible to hide. The way Mateus smiled at her made her think that he enjoyed just how much fear she had for him. He licked his lips as if he wanted to eat her, or perhaps he wanted to revel in the power he held over her.

"Do it," he whispered to her, pressing himself even harder against her, pushing her back against the barrier itself.

"I don't want to hurt you," Canti said, instead pushing him back off of her. "You, at one point, were just a friend I had at school. I don't understand why you-"

Mateus snatched the knife from her hand. For a moment he seemed like he wanted to point it back at her, but he didn't. Instead he just placed it on the table and focused all of his attention on her. "That life is over now," he said, trying to put his arms around her. She fought against him, not wanting him to embrace her, so he used his hands to grab her wrists and thrust her up against the barrier even harder. The more she struggled to get away from him, the harder he pushed her against that wall. "You'll be my wife once you turn of age."

"I don't think this is how people are supposed to get engaged," she said, still doing all she could to break free from all of his weight.

"I would have loved to do it the old fashioned way, really, but the sad fact is, you were falling in love with someone else, so…" he looked down at her. "…will you sit down and obey your fiancee?"

Kain blinked for a moment. He remembered at one point having Minwu promise to marry her because he was afraid of his own feelings towards someone in his family, and arranged marriages weren't common in Dagurreo, but he also knew that they happened from time to time. "Canti's all ready engaged," he said quickly. "Mateus, what you want is completely against the law."

"She is?"

"I _**am**_?!"

"It's true," Kain said. "It's all ready been arranged."

"What, with _you_?" Both Canti and Mateus asked at the same time, bewildered at the suggestion.

"No, not with me," Kain replied. "But her marriage was arranged all ready to someone she likes a whole lot better than you! Someone I trust explicitly to take care of the one I love."

"You… arranged my marriage?" Canti asked. "But… I thought… you and I…"

"It happened before I accepted my feelings towards you," he explained sadly. "Because I knew my father would never approve of me marrying someone in the family. Don't worry though. He's a gentle person, someone probably more loving than I'll ever be." He shook his head. "It was arranged to protect you."

Mateus shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Where we're going, I rule everything. That engagement won't mean anything once I sit on my golden throne…" He leaned into Canti again, running his tongue along the side of her face. She shuddered in disgust, staring up at him defiantly. "…you'll learn to love me."

"I don't think so!" she spat at him.

"At first, I found your defiance endearing, but I'm quite bored of your tantrum," he said, grasping onto her wrists harder and forcing her to stand up straight. "I would take you now, but you're not of age."

"...take me?" she inquired. "Take me where?"

"Your innocence will not save you." He quickly spun her around and caught her wrists again, so that her back was against his chest. "The moment you are of age…" Mateus led her back to her bed and forced her face down onto it, causing Kain to cry out from his side of the barrier. "…I'll have all of you."

"No!" Kain pounded on it as hard as he could manage. "Not like me! You aren't going to do to her what you did to me! Stop it!"

Mateus turned to look him right in the eye. "Doesn't it bring back lovely memories of summer camp?" he asked, pulling her gown up so her panties were exposed.

"I'm going to run a spear right up your asshole and out through your fucking nose, you heartless piece of-"

"Empty threats do not phase me," he put his hand up and slapped it against Canti's butt so hard that it left a stinging sensation on her skin. "So please. Be silent." He rubbed her skin where he had hit it, almost like he wanted to heal it, but he slapped the same place again even harder. "You are free to watch, however."

Canti flinched every time he spanked her. It was painful, but she didn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her cries in pain. It happened again, and again, and again. By the time he was done, the muscles of her rump were swollen and she didn't even feel it.

"You won't be able to study at the table like that. It'll hurt too much. Be a dear and stay on the bed to avoid any avoidable pains," Mateus whispered, leaning down on her completely. He pressed her into that mattress, his chest against her back. "Relax. Now that I've punished you, I won't count this against you in the future. We're on a clean slate. Just remember what happens when you disobey. It hurts us all." He lifted her up to place her completely on the bed, instead of just being bent over it. "Like I told you. You will learn to love me."

"...I hate you," Canti whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"That's fine. You'll come around."

"I'll get out of here…" she whispered again.

"I don't intend on keeping you here forever," Mateus sat down on the edge of the bed and ran his hand over her side as if he wanted to comfort her. "This is just training. That's all. You have to learn one way or another."

"I love Kain Highwind. Not you. That will never change."

"Don't make me go punish him just out of jealousy."

"Please… don't…" she begged, whimpering.

"If you do exactly as I say this instant, I will not take it out on him."

"What do you want now?"

Mateus smiled. "You will submit to me. You will not fight back. You will not talk back. You will submit. When I tell you to do something, you will do it. It's the simplest thing in the world."

She sighed. "And what do you want me to do now?"

"Tell me that you love me."

"...what?"

"Tell me that you love me, or I will go and force myself on Kain. You'll get to hear his cries and whimpers right through the barrier. You'll feel it through the bed, as he felt your punishment," he tickled her ear just a tiny bit. "It doesn't even have to be loud. Just say it."

Canti closed her eyes, pressing her hands against the barrier. She wanted to reach for Kain, to hold him against her for comfort and protection. He was the only thing she wanted right now. She missed him and being close to him. "Kain…" she said, knowing that he would hear her, "…I love you."

"As I love you…" Kain's voice replied.

"...wrong answer," Mateus grunted.

 _That is the only reason I can even…_ she thought before she coughed a little. "M-Mateus," she whispered, turning to look at him with the most hateful expression she had ever born to anyone, "I-I… love… you…"

He wiped her cheeks of the tears and kissed her forehead. "I'll accept that for now." He stepped away from the bed and put his hand up against the barrier to cause it to open long enough for him to sneak through. "I need you to rest. Tomorrow I'll bring ointment for your wound. Good night, my love." And then he left, just positively beaming at what he'd managed to do today.

Canti sniffled before wailing in pain. Her heart ached terribly. Kain, on the other side of the barrier, also welled up with tears. They both laid on opposite sides of that barrier, feeling each other's subtle movements on their shared bed, but wanting nothing more than to hold one another.


	52. Chapter 51: Relative

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Fifty-one_

Canti was grinning from ear to ear. She stood among some of the greatest people within all of the history of the realms, many of which she'd done extensive research on, quite a few she wanted to emulate in both mannerisms and fighting style. None more so than those who all called themselves dragoons. It was an awesome title. Not only did it sound incredibly badass, but they wore some of the most intricately designed armor, and had access to some powers that no other kinds of warriors in all of history could hope to pull off. She had her own spear, one that she'd been given by Kain on the day they'd met, and she'd been doing all she could to learn about it. How it felt in all sorts of situations. Getting used to carrying it around in a special holster that made it hard for her to go through doors as quickly as she used to without having to learn a few tricks to boost her own agility.

Kain was at her left side, as he was always known for being. Many party members had come and go through all sorts of missions, but he was never far from her. As she was just as left handed as he was, he'd been her prime instructor for learning how to properly wield all pole-arms. Canti liked learning from him, as he always took the time needed to explain everything in cool, calm, collected detail as many times as she needed to hear it to understand what it was he was trying to teach. The instructors within the academy were never so kind to help her without giving her shame or making remarks that she had some sort of learning disability under their breath.

And, to her right, her self-proclaimed adopted father figure, Cid Highwind was explaining things in even more detail. Things about how to handle her own weight, things about how to treat the spear as a part of her weight, but not to cling to tightly to it. He got into mathematical equations about being in the air and fighting against gravity. Canti didn't understand that. Who needed to learn numbers to properly use a spear? He only smiled when she gave him that half-frown she was so keen on giving when people were talking about things that went way over her head, gave her hair a ruffle, and apologized for having blabbed on too far. Cid had learned how to use a spear at a class in a military academy in Junon, in the Seventh Realm. Many others his age opted for swords, or firearms, or the fascinating study of how to use materia to create magic, but since Cid was a pilot and a scientist of flying things, learning how to use the spear according to all the science he'd been studying all his life in to pursuit of becoming a Flying Ace was just second nature. He loved her genuinely as any overprotective father would love a daughter who only wished to follow in his footsteps.

"Are you ready?" Cid asked, giving her a hard pat on her shoulder. "I wanna see you Jump. We've all ready told you all we can. It's time to give it a shot."

She turned to look at Kain and he nodded. "Cid is right. You're more than ready. There's only so much instruction you can learn from a teacher. You need experience."

"It isn't battle, but you shouldn't try to use it in a life or death situation without having practiced it first," Cid said. "Go on. Freya was nice enough to make you a target to practice on." He gazed at it. That target was weird, but whatever. At least there was plenty of, uh, something to hit.

Canti looked straight ahead to see the target. It was awfully big in comparison to a normal target. She stared at it for a moment, noting that it was human shaped. Though fat. With bluish skin? She didn't have to think about it for more than a few seconds. "Freya, may I ask you a question?" she asked.

"What is it?" Freya asked from behind the target.

"Is there a reason why the target looks like Queen Brahne?" she put her one free hand on her hip.

Freya shook her head. "No, there's no reason why the target that you will be practicing sacred Dragon Knight techniques on looks like a genocidal matriarch that slaughtered the only people in my realm who upheld the tradition," she replied with a shrug.

"I'm surprised Vivi hasn't come through to set the damn thing on fire," Canti grunted. _Though if I remember right, he's on Hikari's team, and they're on assignment right now._

"Stop getting distracted," Kain said sternly. "You asked to be taught, so get to it. We can't tell you how to improve if you don't get yourself off the ground."

"Right!" she nodded, taking her spear into both hands and jumping up into the air. She was out of everyone's vision as soon as she lifted off.

"Good," Cid whispered. "Let's see how she lands."

Canti did all of the things that all of the dragoons had taught her. Keeping her spear close, like it was an extension of her own body. To center herself along the spear itself, to use her weight to guide it to the target. To, as Kain once put it, become like a human arrow. It was the combined force of both the spear and the person who wielded it that created the blow at impact, not just one or the other. She loved that feeling of being suspended in the air, and she had the feeling that Papa Cid liked it because it reminded him of being on a flying aircraft in the sky. She saw the Queen Brahne-shaped target and started her descent.

Canti wasn't sure what happened after that. She landed right on her tush somehow, with her spearhead stuck into the ground. She was staring at the target from where she was sitting, but a few seconds after she crashed, her body fell backwards and she was unconscious from the force of landing straight onto the ground from being up that high.

Immediately the team of dragoons surrounded her, with Kain himself collecting her into his arms to carry her off to the infirmary, which is where he had brought her more times than he'd ever seen any other keeper end up there combined.

"That wasn't so bad," Cid said. "Let her sleep it off."

"Wasn't so bad?" Kain argued. "She fell at full force! I wouldn't be surprised if her legs weren't broken!"

"The girl's legs ain't broken," Cid said, shaking his head. "She didn't land on 'em. This'll be a good learning experience for her. She'll learn not to do whatever it was that did this."

"I know she calls you Papa, but you aren't her father. Don't even begin to think that the cruel, military bootcamp way you always brag about learning is how she should learn. That's cruelty. Canti is not a soldier, and she shouldn't be treated as one." Kain said, glaring at him before he went into the infirmary hall.

"And your father, he wasn't as strict as hell with you?!" Cid yelled back at him, not bothering to follow Kain in there. He wasn't going to have a full on verbal lashing from that mopey kid with a dragon fetish in front of patients that needed rest. It wasn't worth starting trouble in a place that needed to be quiet.

"She's hurt herself again, has she?"

"Oh, it's you," Cid turned to see a close friend of Canti's standing there. "I guess you overheard our discussion, then."

"It's not hard when you both are so loud. At least it makes sense that Canti finds family among you…"

Cid laughed. "Work hard, play hard. That's how I've always been. I'm not changing for anyone."

"That's not entirely true…"

"What are you doing here, son?"

"I was on my way to the training yards. I'd heard that the dragoons were planning on putting on a demonstration. Who knows, I could even learn a thing or two from them?"

"Spellblades don't have much in common with dragoons, do they?" Cid pulled a cigarette from the pack he always kept in his headband.

"The agility needed. I would love to learn more about how to turn my weight into increasing my agility to better use in combat. And that's something dragoons are quite gifted with."

"Except for my haphazard daughter!" He laughed even harder as he lit it up and took a drag. "That girl is the clumsiest dragoon I've ever met. And I know myself."

Kain came out of the infirmary, this time holding his helmet rather than Canti. He approached Cid, not wanting to give Canti's friend a passing glance if he could help it. Those two had never really understood each other on any level, and there was no chance he saw it happening any time soon. "I would have thought you to be a little more supportive than that," he grunted. "Your habit of laughing off every serious thing worries me! Do you want Canti to laugh in the face of danger? In the face of eventual death?!"

"You think she doesn't all ready?" Cid asked. "When she rescued me, she was standing on the very tip of my rocket, in the rain, laughing her ass off! She was fighting with ShinRa assholes all the way up the damn thing, daring them to chase after her!" He shrugged. "You were there. You remember. I know you do."

"Beside my point!" Kain said, crossing his arms. "She needs to learn to keep her composure both in training and while on the battlefield, because if she doesn't, it's going to cost her. And when that happens, you'll be sorry you ever let her be this way."

"I have to agree with Sir Kain… don't think I haven't been trying to teach her that for as long as I've known her."

"All we've got when we're staring death in the face is laughter," Cid said. "When it comes for me, I'll be laughing until I cross the river Styx and beyond that. I'll be laughing as I burn in the seventh pit of hell." He took another drag on his cigarette. "Might be leftovers from my life as a soldier. Might be me trying to hide the scars of my previous battles. Might just be being a fucking jackass."

"Your daughter isn't a soldier. She isn't shell shocked the way you are. And she certainly isn't a jackass," Kain disagreed loudly, shaking his head. "You cannot treat her the way you were treated in your… bootcamp, I believe you said it was?"

"So you want me to treat her like a squire, the way a knight would? Is that how you were trained?" Cid laughed at that, but not in the same jolly was he was known for. He laughed in a mocking tone.

Kain didn't seem like he wanted to talk about that. "I was trained by my father until he died in an accident claimed his life." He turned away. "By the way. You were right. Her legs aren't broken. She has some soft spots, but… she'll be fine as long as we let her rest a few days."

"That's typically how she ends up after one of her accidents…"

Kain couldn't help but agree with that, even if he didn't always get along with that one friend. Though, when he looked over there, he was certain that he saw a young man that had to have been around Canti's age. This time, he saw a girl in that same spot. Someone shorter, with teal hair instead of something that was brown. He blinked a few times. What was going on here? "I'm sorry, Crystal, but were we looking for your commentary?"

"I just wanted to look to learn from the dragoons the way my friend does… you think a blacksmith doesn't need to know how to be agile with their hammers?" Crystal asked. "And when I heard that the one person I know who might become a dragoon was going to be at their demonstration, I wanted to see her… I…" she looked down at the ground. "I really wanted to see her progress. She's always been so lost. I don't. I didn't come all this way, giving up my free study time during the weekend, for you to treat me like garbage, Sir Kain Highwind!" She stomped off, carrying her huge hammer in another direction.

"Did it just get colder in here, or is it just me?" Cid asked, finishing up his cigarette to flick it on the ground and stomp it out with his steel-toed boot. "You need to learn how to treat Canti's other friends with some decency. She's close to you, but she's close to others, too."

"...Cid."

"Yes?"

"There's no way in hell we can ever be related."

"HA! Now there's something we can both agree on!"

…

Einar felt beads of sweat travel from his forehead, sliding down his face, only to fall off at his cheek. "Another memory involving _him_ rewritten," he said, stopping to take a sip of coffee. He took a deep breath, letting the warmth of the coffee course through him. "Only…" Einar took a peek at the stack of papers that sat to his right. "…a whole _lot_ more to go. Of course." He sighed. Before he went to rewrite another memory, he decided to do another system check. He keyed in a few commands before he was given a bright red emergency symbol in the center of the screen. "Oh Cosmos…! This is bad!"


	53. Chapter 52: Revive

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: Hey, it's this story's one year anniversary! Let's keep at it!

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Fifty-two_

Leviathan hadn't stopped typing once he started. There was more than a few orders that needed to be issued to countless different Sphere terminals, and because of the way the system was built, he couldn't send the same documents to different recipients. Safety first, he groaned in his mind, pushing up his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose.

He had to decide what to tell the Warriors of the Water. If it were true that the Grand Dragoon had indeed been killed in battle, his successor wasn't exactly reachable in the current situation. He sat there and figured he might as well give the temporary authority to his brother, even though the last time Leviathan spoke to Cid, the man wasn't holding up well. He sent the executive order through the system to all Warriors of the Water terminals to make sure every single one of them knew of it. The last thing he wanted was a mutiny because they weren't all properly informed.

He reached over to his coffee cup, which had grown completely cold since he checked on it last. For fuck's sake, he couldn't get a drink of hot coffee while working no matter how many fresh cups he served himself! How annoying! Was it because, being a water deity, his hands were always cold? He groaned loudly at himself.

His screen suddenly began to flash, and it immediately caught his attention. It displayed a message that demanded his full attention.

 _Doing this is extremely dangerous, but I have no choice. I must warn you that if things continue the way they are going, the system will crumble. The combined psyches of two of the pillars are so damaged that I foresee no way to permanently fix it. Ten years are simply not possible… awaiting response before project:RE may commence again._

Leviathan feared that being the case, which was the reason why he was working as fast as he could on a solution. He looked at the clock on the wall of his office. If ten years was impossible, then there was going to need to be ten years of work done in a shorter amount of time. He brought up a window to type a reply. It was dangerous to all involved, both those who were real and those who weren't within the system, but it wasn't like this whole project wasn't a risk to begin with. The last thing we needed was the beloved heroine waking up as a damaged, confused ten year old in a world where everyone she ever knew and loved had been destroyed. She'd just kill herself again! So having some answer was better than no answer, he told himself. There was a high chance of everything completely failing anyway, so why not just throw all of his heart behind this one decision?

 _Engage time skip upon stability. Currently engaging all military personnel in achieving stability, will take time. Continue project:RE as planned. All orders final._

At first, he didn't want to send that command, but nothing would happen unless he sent it. Leviathan clicked to send the message to the sender. Then, he sent all of his executive orders to the rest of the government facilities through all of the little pocket dimension he had dominion over.

The Sphere terminal lit up and he heard a chime. He clicked to receive the call.

"Sir!" It was Cid Highwind. "A-are these orders yours, or some scheme from the outside?"

"Cid, these orders are mine. Until the successor of the title of Grand Dragoon is made safe, you are to fill the position," Leviathan said flatly. "Use all of your power to find those children before it is too late."

"Sir! I only wish I had a lead. No one has any idea as to where they might be, and people have been searching all over the country," Cid said, letting out a sigh.

Leviathan nodded, beginning to use another program on his Sphere to do a search. "I'll do a scan to see if I can pinpoint something…" There were no signals showing up, which was weird. The Sphere was a part of an electrical network that had access to every building within the entire country. Every room in every house in every neighborhood could be looked in if needed. And there were no signs of Cantirena or Kain anywhere that his scans could reach. What places were there that couldn't be traced by his system? Leviathan pondered on that. "…Cid."

"Sir?"

"You're more mechanically inclined than I, and you may understand a bit more about this than I do, but I must ask you a question…" he looked into the eyes of that older gentleman through the camera attached to his Sphere terminal. "…is there a known place within Dagurreo or Fisherman's Horizon where there is no electrical current?"

Cid put his hand to his chin to think about it. "There's electricity everywhere within Dagurreo. Even in all of the underground facilities."

"That's what I was thinking."

"But there… are places with no electricity in Fisherman's Horizon. The place where all of _those_ … are kept," Cid trailed off. "Why?"

"Because they aren't in a place where there is electricity, otherwise the Sphere would be able to detect them," Leviathan answered him. "That's the power of the Sphere."

"...oh _shit_ ," Cid gasped. "I understand, sir. I'll lead the search myself."

"May Cosmos guide you," Leviathan said as he hung up the call. He watched the window close on the screen and closed his eyes. It was smart to hide the Highwind children there. He knew the living conditions there, and the kind of people who lived there, that were not allowed to leave. Even if those two were to get out of wherever they were being held, it would be nearly impossible to leave Fisherman's Horizon.

…

Canti was more than a little shocked when she woke up. She didn't understand those visions she'd had in her sleep for a while. She was so much different there than she remembered being. Loud, boisterous, always raising her voice no matter who it was speaking to her. Even if it was Papa Cid. Especially if it was Papa Cid. And when she tried to think about what happened in detail, there were always blank spots in her memory. There were always things missing to connect different flashes that she did see. Her mind was a total mess. And given her current situation, that didn't surprise her. Being held against her will by a classmate because he's convinced he's destined to have you has his bride for some reason could have been understood to induce stress in some people. Canti didn't understand what he was on about. This whole land named after his family thing.

Her hands were still firmly on the barrier that kept the two cells separate. She could still hear Kain breathing on the other side of it. Her backside still ached a bit. She wondered how the same bed could be used between them, with there being a barrier there. Canti put her fingers there to see if she could feel a connection, but the sheet on the bed went through underneath the barrier. The fact that she suddenly realized that she didn't have a blanket made her feel even colder than she was all ready, on top of everything else. She tried to see if she could push a few fingers through the crack that the sheet slipped through, and found that yes, while she couldn't see where her fingers were going in the complete darkness, they did indeed fit. This had to have been a weakness in this entire set up. She grinned silently at having made this little discovery.

"Kain?" she whispered as she leaned in to the crack.

There was no reply. He must have passed out. To her knowledge, he hadn't been sleeping at all. It was good that he was asleep. He needed to escape this nightmare as much as she did. But, since there was no light anywhere, that meant she was free to test out another part of her theory regarding their cell. Canti took a deep breath before she pushed herself up and stood up completely, letting herself slide down the side of the bed to its bottom. When she pressed herself to the floor, her backside ached, and she let out a painful little gasp. She covered her mouth, not wanting to let out any more of a reaction than that. She was certain that Mateus was outside the room and had the ability to hear whatever they said, so she wanted to stay as silent as possible. Canti felt the very bottom of the bed. There was some space between it and the floor. She stuck her hand between them. As she got closer to the floor she pushed her hand further. How far could it go? She was able to fit all the way to her shoulder, and she tried to fit her head in there, too. Perhaps with enough effort, she could push all the way through…!

It was tight under that bed. It was hard to breathe under there. And she could feel the difference of pressure between her empty side and where Kain was sleeping. But she knew she was stronger than she let herself show. She could push herself further. Far enough to cross through that stupid barrier. When Mateus found them together, he was going to have to open the door, and that would give them a perfect opportunity to get the hell out of wherever this was! Canti didn't want to be a damsel waiting for someone to save her. She was capable of saving herself. She knew she was. It was just a puzzle, and she could figure it out like any other puzzle. She forced herself to go through further, even if it was just little bitty inches at a time.

 _Kain…_ she thought, _I love you… and I will do all I can… to save you…_

The door of the prison room opened and the lights came on. Canti could see them from under the mattress. She pulled her feet as close to the center of the mattress as she could.

"...where has our little Empress gone?" Mateus' voice asked. "Wake up, you useless toad, and tell me where your cousin is before I run my scepter straight through your heart!"

Kain's weight shifted above her. Canti could see his feet hit the floor in front of her. "I guess your traps weren't enough to keep her," he said. "Always full of surprises, my cousin."

"You'll tell me where she is or I'll-"

"As long as she's far the hell away from you, I don't care where she is."

She could hear the sounds of the mechanism that had been shocking Kain being set off, and this time was no different. He let out weird sounds that she could hear this time as he fell over from the sheer intensity of the magic running through his system. She crawled harder towards him until she could reach his ankle.

"You Highwinds are all the same! You always believe you are higher than the rest of us," Mateus said, scolding Kain harshly. "There is only one fit to rule, and that one is I!" His tone was becoming increasingly angry every time he spoke. His perfect plan to capture and brainwash his obedient future empress had failed him somehow, and the fact that he couldn't figure out why only pissed him off that much further. Mateus turned away, as just looking at Kain pissed him off further.

Canti put her hands on his ankle and channeled white magic through her body to his. The warm light of cure passed through her hand into his skin, and she hoped to cure wounds that he'd endured because of the fact that she wasn't the type to obey. She passed her positive vibes to him, apologizing profusely about not being able to protect him, and letting him know how much she loved him… she only hoped that he understood.

Kain sat up, looking down at the floor. He didn't see her hands, but he certainly felt them. _You're under the bed?_ He thought, smiling. _Smart, but he's not going to appreciate that one bit._

"What do you have to smile about?"

"Seeing your whole plan blow up right in your face is actually pretty damn hysterical."

The barrier that led to Kain's half of the cell opened. Canti saw Mateus' boots step in the room. She could feel his aura. It was full of all sorts of malicious intent. She was afraid to move.

"I see that the magical punishment isn't enough for you. You don't even have a single scratch on you…" Mateus said. "…when did you become proficient enough in white magic to cure wounds stacked up over days worth of time?"

Kain shrugged. "Perhaps it was just brought about by the power of love."

"I wanted to have you around to motivate Canti to seeing things my way. I even told her she could keep you to be her personal guard, her lover, while belonging to me…" Mateus grabbed Kain's collar and pushed him up against the wall. "…but even that isn't enough for her! What greedy peasants you are! When I am in power, I will eradicate the entire bloodline of Highwinds. You will be the first public execution under my reign."

"I'll gladly die if it means the one I love lives free," Kain said.

Canti slowly began to crawl her way out from under the bed until she was standing there on Kain's side behind Mateus. "Let him go!" she screamed at the would-be Emperor.

"You were under the bed?" Mateus asked. "Darling, you shouldn't be pulling such stunts, you'll make us all worry about you."

"Give Kain back to me!" she shouted.

"Don't worry about me," Kain said. "The barrier is open behind you."

"I don't want to leave without you," she said.

"Go get Father and Uncle Cid… bring the Warriors of the Water! You're a dragoon, the same as all of us… you're stronger than you think!" Kain yelled, feeling tears well up in his eyes. "If you don't go right this moment, we're both going to be trapped here until we become mindless slaves of this asshole!"

"You think you'll be able to leave?" Mateus turned around, ready to close the barrier with his magic, when Canti rushed through it and out the open door faster than he could.

Kain laughed out loud for the first time in a while. "I love seeing you being outsmarted by a ten year old girl," he said, even though he couldn't help himself from crying.

Mateus reared his fist back and smashed it into Kain's face, breaking the young dragoon's nose and throwing him onto the bed. "When I bring her back here, I'm going to force her to watch you die."


	54. Chapter 53: Reprepare

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: *are neatly stacked, ready to be read by anyone who passes by*

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Fifty-three_

Canti ran as fast as she could through the hallways barely lit with torchlight. There weren't many places that she knew that weren't lit using electrical lights. The braziers were oddly placed, but there was enough light for her to make out the stairs. The what felt like more than a billion stairs. Her legs ached, and she hadn't recovered at all since coming to this… wherever this was. She didn't see anyone either coming or going her way. This was such a long pathway. She could feel that she was going up, though. As tired as she was, Kain had pleaded with her to find the Warriors of the Water. To seek out her Uncle Richard and Papa Cid. She wanted to collapse, throw up, and scream in agony all at the same time.

Eventually, she came to the top of the stairs, where she could hear other people nearby. She looked behind her, unable to see Mateus trailing her, and she stuck her head out of the door as she did her best to discern where those people in this building were. She noticed there were no torches, but there were still no electrical lights. Instead, she noticed there was a lot of light coming from above, like there was some huge hole in the roof.

She heard footsteps coming, and for a second, she froze. Canti heard Kain's words from as she was racing out of the cell below.

 _You're a dragoon, like the rest of us…_

Canti nodded, doing her best to jump up to the ceiling to avoid being found by anyone who might have been protecting the place.

"All clear," one voice said from the shadows.

"All clear," another said, and the two must have turned around just to continue their rounds.

She looked around from up there, noticing there was a huge part of the center of the main room lit up by the light that was coming from outside. On the other side of that was a wide open door! But, with how destroyed the building was, she wasn't going to be able to crawl along the ceiling. There wasn't a clear path to that door. She decided that the quickest way outside, then, was to head for the place where the light was coming in and make a jump. She didn't know if she could make that sort of jump, but she had to make the attempt. Canti would rather die trying to escape Mateus than submitting to him!

She let go of the ceiling and let herself land on the floor. She turned to head for the center of the room, taking a few steps. When she heard angry footsteps coming from the place she came from, she ran to hide behind a nearby statue.

Mateus emerged, doing his best to keep his composure. "We have a problem," he announced loudly enough for everyone within the building to hear him. "My fiancee's run away. Poor dear is unstable. If you find her, bring her to me."

Canti couldn't believe he had the gall to call her that! But she wasn't going to let that get in her way of escaping. She waited for him to walk off somewhere. He kept his cool, somehow, but earlier he was showing exactly how pissed off he was. She started to head again back to the center of the room, and any time she thought she was being stared at, she jumped up into the shadows of the ceiling. She lost count of how many times she did it. Sometimes she heard people carrying the message that she'd gotten out, and how distraught the young master Mateus happened to be over his dearly beloved having run away from him. Oh, like it was so simple! She was getting closer, slowly. Bit by bit. Until she saw something very strange in the very center of the room, right in the middle of the place of the overhead light.

There was a figure. Wearing armor. And a helmet. The helmet reminded her of one that she saw back at the Highwind Manor. She blinked a few times. She had seen that armor before! That was most certainly a Warriors of the Water suit of armor! But for some reason, it was standing straight and still. Wasn't even holding a spear or a sword. She couldn't even tell if the person was breathing. But that was her best bet… Someone had found them, somehow!

Canti ran towards the figure that wore the familiar armor as fast as she could. The moment she stood in the light, she whispered, "I need your help. _Please_."

The figure didn't move at all. She stared at it. Was that a real person? Her steps became smaller and much less confident the closer she got to it. When she stood in the very center of the light, she looked up to see that it wasn't a person. She gasped, suddenly covering her mouth with a hand, as she realized it was nothing more than a bloody suit of armor displayed on a spear. She couldn't take her eyes off of it. Emblazoned on the chest was a medal with the dragon that looked exactly like the statue in the manor's backyard. Only one person in all of the Warriors of the Water wore that medal. Tears streamed down her face as she fell backwards, landing on her tush. But she couldn't stop staring at the armor. It was still dripping with blood, with a little puddle having gathered underneath it.

"U-uncle R-Richard..." she whispered.

Suddenly she felt someone standing behind her. Their legs were against her shoulders. She didn't want to look back and see Mateus after seeing that one of her closest relatives, her uncle that was almost like a second father to her, was nothing more than a bloody suit of armor. She felt their hands help her stand, and she didn't bother fighting back. If she was going back to that cell below, then that was where she was going.

"...I don't know how you managed to escape," the voice of someone who was leading her along briskly said, "…but now that you're out, you can't concentrate on things like that." The voice was familiar. Canti had heard it before several times in the past. She blinked a few times, trying to refocus her eyes, but it was far darker here than it was back under that huge billowing light. "It's grotesque, but no one tells Mateus anything. Everyone just accepts what he does. I thought you Highwinds were haughty until this all happened."

"B… Balthier?" Canti asked. "Why are _you_ here?"

"My father has an alliance with Senator Palamecia, as they want to have greater influence over the Senate and the administration as a whole. I am here for no reason other than to help secure the bond between the two families. Bunsansa or not, I don't agree with what they've done to you or the rest of your family." He heard someone coming, so he shoved her quickly into a door and whispered, "Do not make a sound."

"Ffamran, my dearly beloved has vanished from this ugly place. Help search for her, if you would."

"I heard, so that's what I was doing."

"Poor dear is so distraught."

"I can imagine. Pulling her from the Highwind Manor lifestyle to live underground in servitude to you can't exactly be an easy transition."

"Your words are as clever as your father's."

"Your actions are as cruel as yours."

The moment Mateus stomped away, Balthier helped slip her out and guided her to his own personal room within the building. He rummaged through all kinds of clothing to have her put on to hide her blue hair and fair features. He didn't speak to her, but it was clear to Canti that Balthier felt some sort of guilt for all he'd done to participate in his family's activity. "Before we leave this room," he said after she had finished putting all these clothes on. "A few things. Do not speak. I will cover for you. You are a mute from this area that wandered into this destroyed mansion, so you mustn't speak… Outside, there are many who wander aimlessly. They are… sick, is the best way I can explain it. You've never seen them because you've never come out to FH, but your Aunt Erina used to be a champion for those sick people."

"…she's… gone, too?" She whispered.

"I'm afraid so. The only living Highwinds as of now are Kain, your father, and you. Every other descendant, relative, or otherwise has been slaughtered at the orders of Senator Palamecia," Balthier replied just as quietly. "I do not wish to leave you with the sick, but I may not have a choice. There is a place where the sick are able to leave the city. If I am separated from you, head towards the beach and seek out an MP. Leviathan has returned, so they know to look for you and take you to him directly. Anyone wearing the Warriors of the Water armor that has approached FH has been killed on the spot by mercenaries, so I don't believe Cid can come here."

"What about Kain?"

"...Mateus won't kill him. He needs him for you. As long as you're alive, he'll remain alive. If you want to rescue him, you'll need to reach Leviathan and have him bring a force here somehow," Balthier explained. He handed her a wallet. "You may need money to buy food or a weapon."

"This is too risky. What about a Sphere? I can just call-"

"There are no Sphere terminals here in Fisherman's Horizon, I'm afraid, and there's quite a distance from here back to Dagurreo," he shook his head.

"...I remember getting a letter by Moogle a few times. Do you know how to use Mognet?" she asked.

"You need a moogle's flute for that."

"Do you know where one is?"

"Actually…" Balthier nodded. "…hide and stay silent. Do not let the walls hear you breathe. I'll see what I can do about it."

"Okay… thank you, Balthier."

"Of course, princess."

As he turned to leave, she hid under his bed. She was getting used to hiding under mattresses lately.


	55. Chapter 54: Retaliate

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes:

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Fifty-four_

Canti waited. She didn't know how long she was in there, as in mostly darkness it was hard to determine what time it was or how much time had passed. There was sunlight out in the main area of this mostly collapsed building, which indicated that it was during the daytime. But pushed under a mattress to hide like that only made it harder to keep an eye on her surroundings. As she was told, she kept her breathing as quiet as possible. Who knows if someone could have heard her breathing? She couldn't stop thinking about what Balthier told her about how there are no Sphere terminals in Fisherman's Horizon. Why would that be? Wouldn't Leviathan want to keep a constant eye and communication with all of the area within his domain? And, if the families of Palamecia and Bunansa had an alliance, why would their heirs be in a house that had no electricity or easy communication back to the main city? She couldn't figure out what was going on, and while it frustrated her, she could only sit there and wait. It was her only option.

The door opened and only one pair of feet stepped in. The door closed behind, and she could hear a click. He must have locked the door.

"...Canti," Balthier's voice said quietly. "It's me. Come out."

She crawled out from under the bed, noticing that he was holding a purple velvet bag. He placed it in her hands. She opened the bag and pulled out the ceramic flute. It was in the shape of a moogle, just as soft pink as they were, complete with wings and a pompom.

"Moogle's Flute. Write your letter quickly."

"Yes."

He gave her a piece of paper and an envelope, standing against the door to prevent anyone from unlocking it from the outside and opening it. Balthier watched her as she penned out her letter detailing what she'd been through and what she knew of her location. She wrapped it in the envelope and sealed it, writing _To Cid Highwind_ on the front.

"I'll send it and then we'll work on getting you out of here," Balthier whispered, taking back the flute and the letter. "Go back to hiding."

"It's… addressed to my father."

"Yes, I see that."

"That won't get you in trouble?"

"It's not a problem. I'll step out onto the balcony and send the letter with no issues. I'm going to give it back to Mateus, and he won't suspect a thing since I asked to send a message to my own father about my current status as I can't call and let him know," he explained as he watched her go back to hiding under the mattress. "I'll do all I can to help you, Princess."

"...Balthier."

"What is it?"

"...why do you call me princess? I'm not royalty."

Balthier smiled as he thought about it. "It feels… natural to call you that. I don't understand why, but if my dreams are to be believed, then that's what I'll be calling you." He bent down to look at her in her tiny little hiding spot. "I'll be right back. Trust me."

"I've no choice _but_ to trust you."

He got back up and headed out of the room, only to lock it again. Canti listened to his footsteps as he walked away. Her ear to the floor, she could hear many different movements. Lots of footsteps. The moving of furniture in the next room over. She tried to listen for more, but there was so much movement going on nearby that it was very hard to listen for anything further away. She thought about what he said. How it felt natural to address her as a royal title. Was he seeing Mateus' vision of the future, or the one she had been seeing? If she was going to become Mateus' bride, and he was supposed to take over a land named after his family line, that would make her royalty. But if that were the case, he wouldn't be helping her try to get out of this, now would he?

…

Cid wasn't used to this position of authority, but he wasn't going to let that get in the way of leading the search to find his daughter or his nephew. He wore a replica of the badge he'd always seen on his brother's chest ever since they reached adulthood. His brother knew what was going on at all times, he always had himself together. He always had a plan. Meanwhile, after retiring from being a pilot, Cid was a bit more of a drifter. He went from one thing to another, not really caring about anything until Leviathan approached him with an idea to adopt someone from the Westside Orphanage. Cid never thought of having children. He once loved a woman, but after going on his flying adventures, he never crossed paths with her again. She just never was around. But Canti came into his life, and he finally understood a lot about life that just never made any sense to him before. He felt complete having become a father.

There were thousands of troops lined up, all standing at attention, right in front of him. From what he understood, this was every member of the Warriors of the Water remaining alive. During the Senator's rise to power, quite a few of their ranks were obliterated with powerful magics, and there weren't many mages in the ranks of the Warriors. Cid looked at all of them, trying to emulate the attitude that his brother Richard would have had while in that same spot.

Now that they were all battle prepped, he had no idea of what to do now. What part of Fisherman's Horizon were they to march upon? He turned around nervously.

"Mognet, kupo! Delivery for Cid Highwind!"

He was a bit startled by that, but there was a moogle holding a letter in its little paws. He dropped it right into his hands before fluttering away with its tiny purple wings.

"...Mognet?" he asked, looking at the envelope. "No one's used that for years…" He opened it to read the letter inside.

 _To my Papa Cid,_

 _I have no idea where I am or how long I've been here. I've been told that I am in Fisherman's Horizon, but I do not know where. Know that while I have suffered immensely at the hands of my captors, I'm alive and I'm doing my best to escape. I've been told there is a place in Fisherman's that allows the wandering sick to leave the city near a beach, and that is where I am headed right after this letter is sent. Also all Warriors of the Water who have come near here have been shot on sight by mercenaries. Do not come here wearing the armor, please, Papa! Uncle Richard has all ready been put on display in the place where my captors have held me and Kain. We've been separated due to circumstances. Once we meet, we must find and save him! I love you, Papa Cid. May Cosmos allow us to meet again._

 _-Cantirena Highwind_

Cid felt tears well up in his eyes as he read the letter over and over again. She would be smart enough to figure out to use Mognet while in a place where there is no way to connect to the Sphere. He couldn't allow his troops to see him be an emotional mess like this, so he folded up the letter.

"Change of plans. I've received intel from the inside of Fisherman's Horizon. We cannot go like this. They're waiting for us," Cid said loudly, addressing his men. "There is a mercenary force waiting for us. We have to come up with a completely different plan."

"I have an idea," a young man approached him with glasses big enough to cover his eyes entirely. "Grand Dragoon, sir, I propose we do this a little more covertly than with a full scale military operation."

"Mid?" Cid asked. "Let's hear it."

"We'll need help from the ship-yards. May I send a request to Setzer for him to join us?"

"Yes. Do what you need to do," Cid said with a nod. "I will address Leviathan about our current status."

"Very well then, Grand Dragoon."

It didn't feel right for anyone to be calling him by that title. All it did was remind him of Richard. But he didn't say anything. He headed over to a Sphere terminal and put in the code to speak with Leviathan directly.

…

Jecht paced back and forth in the kitchen of the Murasaki household. He kept looking at Braska, then back to Auron, and then back at Braska again. He couldn't believe they were here, when all of the trouble was going on back at the Senator's Meeting Hall. All of their children were gathered in the family room, trying to hide the fact that they were listening into everything being discussed. Tidus, Yuna, and Hikari peeked through the open crack of the door, hanging on every word.

"This is insanity," Jecht said. "Having to hide here-"

"This is not just for the safety of Braska, but also for the kids," Auron answered him quietly. He was sitting at the kitchen table. "Last thing you want is to have those kids put back in an orphanage."

"Well then we could leave Braska here, and we go kick some traitor ass!" Jecht exclaimed. "I'm sure that Leviathan would take any backup they could get."

"No," Braska said calmly. "You will stay with me. I know that the Highwind children were stolen to try to manipulate the Grand Dragoon into siding with the Senate. I'd rather not have our children put in the same situation." He sighed, shaking his head. "Anyone that stood up to them has been warned that they would be treated just like the Highwinds if they didn't agree to vote in their favor to oust Leviathan. Other Senators have said they saw the slaughter of Richard Highwind broadcast over the Sphere…"

Hikari gasped. She pulled away from the door, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Hard to believe that anyone could kidnap Kain and Canti," Tidus said, noticing how Hikari kept stepping back from the door like she couldn't handle what she just heard. "Hey. C'mon. Maybe if we listen in, we can find a way to help!"

"If they were so easily kidnapped, then what chance do we have?" Hikari asked, feeling her eyes burn with tears. "Canti's uncle, Kain's dad - he was the greatest of all the Dragoons."

"Kain wouldn't let us forget it," Tidus agreed.

"And if the Grand Dragoon couldn't stand up to them, then there's nothing we can do!" Hikari felt helpless as she cried. She always had that feeling like Canti was going to leave her, and that hadn't changed. It was like her fear was coming true. "All I want to do is help, but we're just kids…"

"There has to be something we can do," Yuna spoke just as softly and calmly as her father. "Even if we don't go into battle, maybe we can help with something."

Tidus leaned in against the door again to eavesdrop.

"That's what I'm sayin'," Jecht groaned. "Those Senators are traitors! We have every right to put them down!"

"It's not that easy," Auron scolded him.

"Calm down, Jecht. I understand why you're anxious, but I need you to remain sane. I'll try to contact the Warriors of the Water or Leviathan. I want to help stabilize the country, but I fear there's only so much we can do. We will help in the effort. But we will do it in a way that means our children absolutely cannot be placed in further danger."

"Being in Dagurreo right now is dangerous," Jecht snapped. "The fact that we're here is dangerous."

"You're right."

"So they're in no more danger hiding here than they are if we were to help out somewhere where we can be of service, then!" he shouted, causing all of the children to turn towards the door. "We're only letting the danger become worse. Living in fear destroys a mind from the inside out!"

"Where would you suggest we go?" Auron asked. "We need a plan before we act."

"Then at least put a damn plan together instead of just sitting there with those looks on your faces!"


	56. Chapter 55: Relift

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes:

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Fifty-five_

Balthier came back to wrap Canti in very crude, ugly, badly smelling rags. He was quiet and urged her not to say a single word, at least, not until they were outside and a certain distance from the building they were currently in. Her voice would be recognizable to those inside, and there were so many looking for her right now. He stopped for a moment to whisper in her ear to warn her. She had blue hair, such an amazing rarity within their country, and all of the mercenaries would know to look for her lovely curly locks. She could not remove these putrid rags until she knew she was safe. Until she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was on her way to either Leviathan or Cid. Canti understood. The last thing she wanted was to be subjected to Mateus' idea of brainwashing, and if she was ever going to save the one she cared about the most, she was going to have to press on as hard as she could.

He put his finger over his mouth before moving to unlock his room door. He stuck his head out and motioned for her to follow. While she wanted to move as quickly as possible, he had told her to move like she had no idea where she was going. That she would understand when they made it outside. Balthier led her through a hall and around a few corners, but with the hood he put over her head, she couldn't see very far ahead of her. There was so little light in that building. She kept her head down, staring only at his weird shoes that tied in the back. Canti had never seen shoes like that before. But she heard things around her. People moving. Furniture being thrown around to see if that escaped little fiancee to Young Master Mateus was hiding underneath it. She could sense the danger. The eyes from the shadows were all staring at her and she didn't know how to hide the fact that she could feel their gaze against her, even underneath all that rotten fabric.

It seemed like there was more light around after following him a bit more. Though there was much more activity now than there was back when she was hiding in Balthier's room.

"Let this one through," Balthier's voice said, presumably speaking to guards near the exit. "She'd wandered in here by mistake, poor thing."

"Is that so?" a strange voice asked. "What was she doing all the way back in there?"

"I took her to my room."

"Why?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" he retorted. "What else do you do with a lady in your bedroom? Intelligent hired help isn't exactly bright these days, now is it?" Canti blushed from under that hood. How could he say something like that?! There's no way she could ever imagine being that close to one Ffamran Bunansa, one of the enemies of her family. Even if he was handsome and his voice was enchanting, there was no way she could ever, ever, in the possibility of all known-

"If you took her back, that means she must be a looker," another strange voice said, coming from Canti's other side. "Let me see her."

Suddenly Canti's inner rant stopped and all she could feel was fear. How she wanted to just rip off the disguise and make a break for it, but Balthier advised her against it. That would expose her immediately, and if there was any chance of escape, she was going to have to just… be silent.

"If she's one of _those_ , she won't fight back then, will she?" the first voice said.

She froze there. This was all over, wasn't it?!

"You don't want to see her face. She has a horrible injury, and you two obviously don't have any respect for ladies if that's your first reaction to hearing that there's a damaged girl close by," Balthier said smoothly. "Allow her to pass and be with her kind, will you?"

"You must not, either, if you made love to one of those things." That voice was unmistakable. Canti was going to hear that one in her nightmares probably for the rest of her life. Mateus stood right behind her. "She might not have understood what you did to her."

"Now I know _you_ don't have any respect for ladies," Balthier said to him.

"That's not true, Ffamran. I don't have any respect for anyone, aside from myself," Mateus replied. Canti could hear his pointed boots clicking on the ground underneath as he circled around her. "I do care deeply for my lovely fiancee, however. Still haven't seen her?"

"If I had, do you think I would have wasted my time with one of the sick from outside? Your dearly beloved is one of the most beautiful girls that's ever graced our country."

"Her beauty is not what captivates me, Ffamran."

"It isn't? Here I thought that's why you, Kain, and Minwu were all looking at her while at Garden."

"Those two may have been watching her for her beauty, and see the vision she will grow into, but she has something much more delicious than a lovely appearance," Mateus said. "She has… _power_."

"Isn't that something. A little girl like that contains enough power to make you lust for her," Balthier laughed. "We can speak of it some other time. I'd rather send this one out to be with her own kind now. She has to be terribly confused as to what she's doing in here, with so much intelligent conversation going on."

"Send the sick one out, then, and get back on the search for my missing love."

"As you wish," Balthier replied. "Though I would like to search outside."

"There's no chance of her having escaped to the outside," Mateus said. "There is no way outside except for this very door."

"The building is half-rubble, half gigantic outhouse. Now you know she's clever. She could have found a way outside easily."

Mateus hummed. "Now that you mention it… we should expand the search to the outside. Just to make sure. She must be terribly frightened if she's outside with _those_ creatures."

"I'm under the impression that she doesn't scare easily." Balthier's hand was on her back, pushing her forward. He kept pushing her until she took a few steps. "Atta girl," he said. "Let's get you back outside where you belong." He pushed her until she saw much more light from underneath her hood.

There were weird noises outside. She never heard these inside, especially while back in her cell. It was eerie. She couldn't tell if they were monsters or if they were people. She heard the dull moaning of what sounded like a lot of people. There were voices, but they weren't saying anything. Maybe they were trying? She couldn't see them, so it was hard to make it out, but it sent chills down her spine.

"Ffamran," Mateus voice said. Canti cursed her luck. It seemed like they were being followed. But Balthier did not remove his hand from her. He was still with her. It was odd to take comfort in someone that was an enemy. Someone that during your very own ceremony to officially make you a real member of the family was threatening you. "She is outside. Let her go and come back to search for Canti. I know she knows you, perhaps she would be less frightened if you were to find her, as opposed to these brutish men my father hired."

"I'm going to search out here," Balthier said. "Might as well keep this one with me in case I feel up for having a round two."

"I can't believe you would do that to one of… these," Mateus said, annoyed. "Honestly. You have an eye for lovely ladies, and you use one of the living corpses from the administration's failures. I hope you do enjoy her. Once the Senate takes full control, I'll put in for all of these things to be put to death."

"That would be an act of mercy, Mateus. And we know how you feel about mercy."

"I despise it."

"Exactly."

"But they wouldn't just be executed. All of these creatures are the results of a failed government. Melting their minds to clear memories isn't going to strike fear into the hearts of the people that want to know the secrets of the administration, Ffamran," Mateus explained. "They went too far. They deserve to die, and to know that they've brought it on themselves." He sounded as if he knew what he was saying was absolutely true, though Canti couldn't help but think that was nothing but heartless. Perhaps Leviathan did not know what removing memories entailed, and that was why he approved it? Melting the minds of people who knew too much wasn't something the Headmaster would have done. "I say public executions would scare everyone away from trying to unravel secrets that aught not be unraveled. Feed them to the monsters on the farm, and broadcast it."

"...Mateus, it was your idea to broadcast the murder of Richard Highwind on the Sphere, wasn't it?" Balthier asked, causing Canti's blood to boil.

"That scared all of them from opposing us. One of the most powerful, influential families has turned to just two young ones and one man leading a rebellion against our coup. One of which is my future bride, one of which is her personal guardian and soon to be a head on a spike to accompany his father, and the final is a corpse waiting to happen the moment I find his daughter and use her to lure him to a trap," Mateus said proudly. "Fear is the best motivator for the masses..."

Her eyes burned and tears fell from her cheeks. Canti wanted to fall to her knees and sob, but she couldn't make a sound. After coming outside, there was no way she could let herself be caught now.

"You want to rule, but you are a cruel bastard," Balthier replied. His hand was still on Canti's back, pushing her in the direction he wanted her to go. "Get back to your search. I'm tired of hearing your fantasies."

"Your family will be treated well for your assistance, Ffamran. You have no reason to act like this-"

"What you've done alone to the one you're going to marry is cruel enough, it's no wonder she's run from you to seek freedom," Balthier snapped. "I don't care how much you hate her family, do you think for a moment that she will accept serving you after you've slaughtered the people she loves the most? You all ready got her uncle, you have her cousin in a cell where you can constantly torture him to manipulate her, you speak of murdering her father, and you still believe she will be your bride willingly."

"Your point?"

"My point is that you deserve to have her escape you." He took a deep breath. "Get back to your search. I wish to have time to myself. I'll look for your fiancee alone, thank you."

Mateus glared at him. "Your words are treasonous. Be thankful I regard you highly, or I would treat you the same way I treat all who dare speak against me."

"Publicly execute me if it pleases you," Balthier grunted. "Your Imperial Majesty."

Mateus walked off behind them. Canti had no idea what his impression was of that last line, but she was thankful that Balthier had the sense not to agree with the aspiring Emperor to be. She still had tears falling from her eyes, unable to believe that her family had been decimated like that.

"...come along, then," he whispered to her, leading her around a few somethings. She couldn't see what they were, but she could tell that there were lots of people around. That constant moaning noise, like there was unintelligible speech going around her, never went away. Was Mateus right when he said they were all mistakes due to experiments of the government led by Leviathan? This incredible claim didn't make any sense to her, but she didn't know what to make of that noise. They kept talking about "those" before. The sick people. Balthier even made her dress up and act like one of them to help her escape.

It took a while before they both finally came to a stop. Canti had no idea how long they'd been walking. It felt like forever.

"We're far from the base of operations," Balthier said. When he reached to remove the heavy hood, the brightness of the outside was overwhelming at first. "Have a rest."

"How far is it to where you told me to go?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust. "The beach, right?"

"Yes… it's still further away."

Canti took a moment to look around. There were hundreds of thousands of people wandering the streets in brown rags. None of them seemed to have any sense of balance. They fell over a lot, or bumped into each other a lot. She couldn't make out what they were saying. She wondered how long it had been since some of them had eaten as many were gaunt or nothing more than skin over bones. "…what… is this place?" she asked.

"This is Fisherman's Horizon," Balthier answered. "The place where all of the government's failings end up until they just rot. Dagurreo is a pristine community where nothing can go wrong, at the price of this vacation spot."

"But some of these buildings look like they were once lovely, well taken care of."

"At one time, people did live here. There were two city-states with their own governments, both answering to a collected Senate and Leviathan. Something happened, though it's been erased from all current memory, and this place became what it is now," he continued. "As time went on, the people here ceased to be people and became this, and the refuse of the perfect pearl that is Dagurreo are added to it."

"Refuse…"

"Anyone looking for answers they aught not be looking for. Be it history of our country, or about the barrier, or about forbidden technology, or about the outside world. Whatever it is that Leviathan and the Senators have hidden away from the people, all of these folks wanted to know about it."

"It's… so sad."

"Leviathan is just as cruel as Mateus. Perhaps even crueler, for keeping these alive after their minds have been turned into nothing but garbage."

"What about white magic? Can white magic not heal them?!"

"I'm afraid not, princess. These are beyond saving."

She turned to look at him, even more tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, Canti grasped around him, squeezing him as she cried into his chest. He only put an arm around her and nestled the other in her blue curls.

"You must remain calm… if you become too emotional, you may not be able to think critically enough to get yourself out of here," Balthier whispered. "It is here that I must leave you."

"What?!"

"If I do not report back to Mateus, it could be bad news for my own situation. I've all ready made it clear I do not agree with his policies, and my father is his father's closest ally. He'll start to believe I've snuck off with you," he said, pressing her to him. "You must make it through here to the beach, to an outpost marked with Leviathan's dragon. That is operated by his men."

"Balthier, I-"

He let her go. "Please. Be safe." He wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I beg you. I may not be in a position to help you further, but I do wish you all the luck in the world."

"If you get the chance, help my cousin the way you helped me."

"...help my rival in love? How smart would that be?" he asked, winking at her. Then Balthier let out a chuckle and turned away. "Save our world, princess. You may be the only one that can."

Canti watched him go, and then she darted to hide behind a building, putting the heavy cloth over her head only to hide her hair. It was high enough to where she could at least see what was going on around her.

"Kain. Wait for me. I'll save you."


	57. Chapter 56: Retransform

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes:

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Fifty-six_

When Balthier came back up to the base of operations, which was mostly rubble, many of the mercenaries were searching outside beneath rocks and other parts of crumbled buildings. Some of them were going out of their way to try to question the citizens of Fisherman's Horizon, even though they knew that no matter how hard they yelled, how loud they threatened, there would be no way for them to answer. None of them had the ability to form words or even understand language when it was spoken to them, which Balthier expected to be on purpose, since all of the people who were here now tried to access secrets of the Administration.

"Still no sign of our little runaway?" he asked, stopping a pair of particularly cruel men from uplifting the dirty skirt on a dark skinned woman that had been wandering by. "Not that you lot are looking very hard."

"Nope," one of the mercenaries said, "though the boss did say something about you knowing more about her."

"Yeah. Ya'll's friends, 'parrently," the other said, his words slurring like he was drunk. He didn't stink of alcohol, but the man was bigger than most and carried a large ax strapped to his back. This man was nothing more than a brute.

"Me? Friends with the dear princess who slipped your perfect little brainwashing camp?" he asked. "I'm not the type to befriend one who belongs to a rival family. Especially the Highwinds. Now, if you would please allow me to pass back into the base."

"You asked to search outside. So, the boss has decided you will search outside until she's found," the first mercenary said, pointing out to the rubble.

"Get to lookin', purdy boy," the second grunted, pushing Balthier in the shoulder.

"I'm going inside," Balthier said. "I have a report for Mateus' ears only in regards to his missing love."

"If that's the case, you can tell me here and now," Mateus walked out of the building with a few more mercenaries. "What have you found out?"

"I cannot tell you here. Allow me to tell you alone."

"Then walk with me."

He didn't want to stay out in this heat any longer, but it appeared as if he wasn't going to have a choice. "All right, then."

Mateus and Balthier walked off alone for a while without saying anything. They both watched the situation around them and looked back at each other in different intervals.

"Tell me what you know. Stop leading me around, Ffamran."

"I'm not going to lie to you, because what I've done helps you," Balthier said.

"What you've done?" Mateus asked. Hearing that could have only meant one thing. "You… helped her escape."

"I did."

"She was-"

"Yes. I found her staring at the display you made of her uncle's corpse, took her to my room, allowed her to send a letter about her still being alive, and I escorted her right out of the base under the guise of her being one of these poor souls," Balthier explained. "The letter was addressed to her father."

"You have allowed her a momentary freedom and set up a trap," Mateus said, impressed by this turn of events. "I didn't think you could come up with such delicious plans."

"The truth is, there are many reasons I've done this, and not all of them have to do with you and the Palamecian family's ideals," Balthier said, looking up at the cloudless sky. "Part of me hopes that she succeeds, and part of me knows how futile it is to run away from the cruelty of reality."

"I am terribly vexed over the fact that you did this without consulting me."

"I don't care how angry you are at me over this. I'll tell you where I told her to go, and you should have your efforts remain covert until it is the exact time to counterattack."

"You've sent her to the beach, haven't you?"

"Why would you think that?"

"The final outpost of Leviathan's men in Fisherman's Horizon remains at the beach, beyond the port."

"That is exactly where I told her to go." Balthier nodded. "There's more to my plan, if you wish to hear of it."

"Please, I wish to hear all about your plan."

"...allow me to stage an escape for Kain as well."

"He is the one thing I have to bring her back to me. I do not believe-"

"Mateus, please. I can buy favor with both the Highwind cousins to turn against them later," Balthier said smoothly. "If I can bring Kain and Canti together after what they've been through, their trust in me will be to a fault. Allowing those two to be together will give them a false sense of security."

"Mmm. I like the idea of giving her Kain, but I do not wish to release him." Mateus took a few paces back and forth. "Perhaps I can do both."

"Unless you're able to use a powerful magic spell, I do not believe that is possible…"

Mateus thought to all of the dreams he had. He once was able to take the form of Minwu to bring Canti to him, and she had fallen for it. She had clung to him so tightly, in ways only those connected through the most deepest of love, even if he wore the appearance of someone else. He hadn't learned that spell here in this world, but he knew the magic was within him. "I will take his appearance, and you will take me to her," he said confidently. "The three of us can meet with Leviathan's men, and be taken to Cid, where I put an end to this rebellion myself."

"Y-you know that sort of magic?"

"I do."

Balthier was not expecting to hear that. "Well… all right. Go ahead. Cast it. She can't have made it too far from where I left her. She did ask me to help Kain in the same way I helped her."

Mateus unleashed all of the magical power within his body. A circle formed beneath his feet, letting off energy that soon swirled about him. His physique changed slowly from being tall and lanky, to being just a little shorter but with a tad more muscle on the legs. His spiky hair at the top of his head smoothed out and grew longer so it could be tucked behind his ears or pulled into a ponytail. His purple eyes now radiated a lovely blue instead. "Let me test out the voice," he said, surprised to hear Kain's voice coming from his lips. "I am the son of the Grand Dragoon, Lord Richard Highwind, Kain Highwind."

"Sounds like him…" Balthier said, amazed by the transformation.

"Am I authentic enough to prove who I am to Canti?"

"Hmmmm… when you see her, what will you say to her?"

Mateus replied, "My beloved… how I have missed you."

"Too romantic."

"But they're in love!"

"Even so. Kain's not a romantic type. He loves her, but he's subdued about it. Try again."

"Canti…" Mateus said with Kain's voice, "…please tell me you haven't suffered too much due to my incompetence."

"Better," Balthier nodded. "Much better."

"Then lead the way, Ffamran."

This wasn't what he expected, but perhaps there was a way to turn this in his favor somehow. He knew that Canti would never forgive him for tricking her like this. Balthier sighed as he waved his hand for Mateus to follow him.


	58. Chapter 57: OVERRIDE

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: Sorry, guys. I've been working on my original stories over on my Fictionpress page instead of fanfic because I find it a lot more satisfying here lately, along with having to reinstall Windows, and... This story really isn't a main focus for me at present. It just isn't. That's life, right? ANYWAY. I have a duty to myself to finish this, so I'm not going to abandon it.

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Fifty-seven_

Canti wasn't sure how to navigate the masses of sick, half-dead people. She had no idea how many she'd passed. It was an endless sea of people, many of them collapsed on the ground from having wasted away so long. Corpses littered the sidewalks, just fallen over in the places they died. She thought the rotted clothes stank while inside that building, but being out in the open, the stench of death hung heavily in the air. She stopped for a few moments, throwing up what little stomach acid was in her system, as she tried to head where Balthier had told her to go, but she was lost. She had no idea what was where. Balthier didn't even tell her what direction the port was in. The last time she ate was that meal Mateus had forced her to eat, and she didn't even really eat that much of it because of the circumstances. The sun overhead offered no relief as the heat pounded down upon her.

"Papa," she whispered, trying to force herself to stand back up. "I have to make it back for Papa Cid and Kain…" But she had no energy within her. She couldn't force her muscles to move any more than she had. Before it was pure adrenaline and fear of being caught and put back in that cell underground. "…I have to…" Her eyes closed as she fell onto a piece of the sidewalk where no others were all ready, still hearing the dull moans of all the sick people either wandering aimlessly around her or lying strewn about the place. "…Kain…"

…

When her eyes opened again, she felt as if someone was holding her. Her vision was terribly out of focus, but she did notice that she was being supported. "...Papa?" she asked.

"Afraid not," came a soothing familiar voice. "Forgive me if I've disappointed you."

Tears formed in Canti's eyes as they came into focus. She saw pale blue eyes looking down into hers, framed by that lovely blonde hair that was so prevalent in the family she'd been adopted into. "I'm not disappointed… not in you. I'm just glad to see that you're free…" She found the strength to pull herself up and suddenly hug around him as tight as she could. "Kain!"

"I've wanted nothing more than to hold you," he whispered, gripping her to him. "Thought I was dead the moment you ran out…"

Canti nuzzled her cheek into his shoulder. "Balthier helped you, didn't he? Like he promised?"

"You bet I did," Balthier's voice answered from behind them. "Now, then. We're heading to the beach, aren't we?"

"Yes!" she said enthusiastically.

...

Einar couldn't believe what he was seeing on the screen. Specs were going completely out of control. Apparently, matters on the inside weren't resolving themselves the way that Leviathan said they would, and the young man had only grown that much more frustrated with it. The more he watched it spiral out of control, the more he just wanted to intervene himself. If there was going to be a timeskip, he wanted to initiate it as soon as humanly possible.

He heard a door shut nearby, which caused him to get up from the Control Panel.

"Don't get up, kid," an informal voice said, and Einar just sat right back down. "Odin wants a report right now."

Einar turned his head only slightly to not look rude while addressing the Eidolon that had walked in. "Lady Asura," he began. "It isn't going well at present."

"Is that so?" Asura asked, shaking her many-faced head. "Leviathan is this girl's personal guardian, and he simply can't get any of this right... Ugh, I knew my husband was unsuitable for this."

"Why would you say that, Lady Asura?"

"The guy believes too much in the ones he protects. He doesn't want to even protect me."

"Lady Asura, with all due respect, you can protect yourself."

"I'm his wife."

"Yes, but you're also the patron goddess of all white mages, and the overseer of all children," Einar explained. "You don't need protecting. There's a reason why he believes in you."

"Then tell me why he believes in this beloved human of his, hmm?"

"Canti is capable of rising above adversity. She's shown so much promise, especially during her time as a keeper. Her emotions were unchecked, and that was her downfall, but had she been able to control herself, she would have gone to become one of the greatest in our time," Einar said, smiling. "It's because I believe in her that I'm even here now. I believe in who she was supposed to be, and who she's going to grow into while being the subject of Project:RE."

"All right, fine. You've done a great job of justifying why the Feymarch is being used to house this," Asura said, chuckling at him. "Tell me why things aren't going well."

"When Leviathan stepped out of the system to come out here and handle things from an outside position, everything fell apart. The government ripped into two factions that are warring with each other, and there's a rebellion trying to overthrow the way that everything works - including Leviathan being the Headmaster of Dagurreo," Einar sounded more than exasperated. "He's given me permission to do a timeskip and reprogramming, then give a reboot, but..."

"But?"

"He wants there to be balance first, and the more I wait, the further from balance we're getting!"

"Oh. Well. That's easy." She shrugged. "Give the executive order. Timeskip now."

"But, Lady Asura!"

"Look, kid! There are literally no safe havens for humans anywhere within any of the Fifteen Realms. None," Asura was growing impatient. "Darkness took over every Archive we had. The barriers have failed. Keepers are either dying or merging with the Ardent itself. If she's supposed to be this grand savior, we need her before we go extinct! You know the command, don't you?"

"I do."

"Give out that order before I feed you to a Malboro."

Einar took in a deep breath, placing both his hands on the control panel. "Command input, Project:RE..." he said, staring into his monitor. "...Dhalia."

The screen lit up with all sorts of overriding windows. Einar pulled his hands back and watched all of the operations take care of themselves. He didn't feel anything as he watched all go down. Leviathan said it was only to be used in an emergency, but based on what Asura just told him, that sounded like it was the most important emergency that could ever emerge.

"Cosmos help us all," Einar whispered.


	59. Chapter 58: Homework

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes:

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Fifty-eight_

"You did the timeskip before I said we were ready, Einar!"

"I was in a panic! Your wife had come looking for a status report to give to Odin!"

"And you told her what was wrong."

"Of course I did. Asura is your wife and the patron Eidolon of all children within the realms."

"You blithering idiot!"

"Excuse me, sir, but I did what I felt was best for the project. Not that it was being very successful, considering what you let happen."

"Me?!"

"Yes, you! Your idea of giving her an alternate life to cultivate her mind properly obviously was nothing but a grand failure."

"It was a fantastic idea. I had given her a chance at everything she wanted but never could have because of her status as a keeper."

"Letting the memories of everyone that you sent into the project affect the world around them was the worst idea you could have possibly come up with. Every one of them is affected by some sort of trauma, one way or the other. If you want them to be without trauma, WHY LET IT TAKE FORM?!"

"I can't believe you."

"I can't believe _you_ , sir."

"...what's the status, then?"

"Hibernation. The whole world is in stasis. I've put everyone back where they should be, everyone is connected to the system, and some things have been completely reprogrammed."

"...did you leave the Grand Dragoon dead?"

"There is no way to undo that... I can't put someone in hibernation that's dead considering he was a manifestation of Kain's needing to cope with his father's death properly."

"Right before Canti decided to do what she did before, there was a final analysis on her entire psychosis, memories, dreams. It's customary to do this for all who decide to volunteer to be wiped from existence. Take a look. Quite a few of the things she was unable to deal with are taking form."

"...so that's where it all comes from..."

"I want to speak to Cid first before we move on."

"I can make that happen."

"I'm glad something's gone my way. I'm going back in immediately. I'll send signal when its time to release the rest of them from stasis."

"Sir, before you go, you didn't answer my question."

"What about?"

"Why let the trauma take form in the first place?"

"Einar... When trauma is as deep as this, there's no way to erase it entirely from who they are and they still be the same person. I didn't want Canti to take her own life. I was there, I tried to help her fight against just how badly she was hurt. I wasn't enough, and apparently, neither were her classmates or teammates at the time. But. If you take her horrible past away from her, she isn't the same person. She wouldn't have that compassion and understanding for others. There's no way she'd be as driven."

"Then... Why do the whole reboot thing at all?"

"Because when she faces what scares her now, she's going to have the tightest support network she's ever had in her life, that's why. If she doesn't face what is ripping her soul apart, she'll never be free of it. That goes for you, me, everybody. We all have a lot to carry."

"Leviathan, sir. I..."

"You're forgiven for questioning my authority, and even reporting me to Asura. Honestly if we had let all that play out, there's no telling what would have become of that rebellious plot. What did you do with the Palamecian family, anyhow?"

"If I were to delete them, they would reform because they are linked to quite a few pieces of trauma within the main team, given the nature of the program at hand. Senator Matteo has been taken away due to murdering Grand Dragoon Richard Highwind, and Mateus has no memory of rebelling. It was all his father's doing from his understanding. However... He'll still be quite interested in our little princess, as now that she's a teenager, she's... Not going to be the same."

"Puberty?"

"Obviously."

"Oh, teenage years! That'll be dramatic!"

"Sir!"

"Forgive me, forgive me. I just remember Canti coming to my beloved city where they worship me, singing to me at that age. Ah, what a wonder she was then, and a wonder I fully expect her to be when things get started. Haaaa!"

"I'm telling Asura."

"No, no, please don't! I only have eyes for my wife! I'm not lusting after her in the slightest."

"Yeah, I can think of quite a few people who'd be pretty upset if you were."

"...Einar..."

"Shut up and get back in there. The sooner you talk about things with Cid, the sooner we can restart everything else. And we're on a tight schedule."

"Right. Right. I'm headed back in, then."

"Very good, sir."

...

Cid opened his eyes to complete darkness. His body felt heavy, like he'd been asleep for much longer than a day. At first he didn't want to move because he had this feeling of an unnatural weight on his chest. He didn't remember what he was doing before he fell asleep. His mind was completely blank until the image of his daughter came to memory. His strength came to him quickly, making himself push his body into an upright position. He remembered missing her, like something was wrong, she wasn't with him. But there were so many unanswered questions.

"Ah," came a voice. "You're awake. Thank Cosmos."

A few lights around the bed he'd been sleeping in turned on. The lights weren't too bright, he still had to let his eyes adjust.

"Where's-" Cid started to ask, but he coughed. His throat was sore, somehow. Maybe he'd been calling out after his daughter too much before having passed out. "Where's my daughter?"

"Your daughter and nephew are safe and healthy. They're resting elsewhere currently." The voice came from that of Headmaster Leviathan, decked out in all his lovely sea-scented glorious robes adorned in sea-serpent imagery and starfish-shaped buttons, as he slowly walked into the light. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've crashed an airship..." he answered, shaking his head.

"Considering all that your family has gone through here lately, that doesn't surprise me a bit," Leviathan said, coming to Cid's bedside. "However, a tremendous responsibility has been placed upon your shoulders, Captain Highwind, due to the situation now."

"You- you mean about Richard and Erina." Cid felt his eyes burn, but he wasn't going to let a single tear fall yet. He didn't feel as if he was ready to mourn the death of his older brother until he'd filled the man's shoes competently. "You want me to fill the spot until Kain's ready, don't you?"

"I'm not sure if you're up for that," the headmaster replied quietly. "You and your family need time. Right now, I am thinking a temporary suspension of the Warriors of the Water is the most appropriate course of action, so that both his men and your family can mourn properly."

"Did they catch the fucker who did it?"

"Yes."

Cid gave a nod. "That's good. Hope he suffers for what he did. Richard was... A more honorable man than me."

"Save it for the memorial service," Leviathan said, taking a stool to sit down next to him. "There is something far more important for me to discuss with you."

"There's more? Don't tell me Cantirena's gone and done something stupid... Bad enough she and Kain ran off thinking they could find Richard's killer like that."

Leviathan laughed. _So that's the implant Einar went with, huh?_ he thought. "Oh, no, no, nothing like that. You know the truth, don't you? About Canti?"

"All I figured out is that she was connected to my missions on the ships when I was still an active pilot, and that she's from beyond the barrier," Cid answered. "Which is why you're so involved with taking care of her."

"That's all very true," the water spirit said. "But there's quite a bit more to it than that. Some of it cannot be shared with you now because I am not the only higher power overseeing this venture. She's drawn to trying to figure out why this world is made the way it is because she's supposed to figure it out."

"She's supposed to?" Cid was baffled by this. "I thought you brought her here to protect her."

"And to test her," Leviathan stated flatly. "From everything to her education to seeing that her emotional needs can be satisfied, to breaking the barrier placed over my realm and becoming that which she is destined to become."

"What is she destined to become?"

Leviathan reached into his robes and pulled out a file folder from his sleeves. "Let me give you a little homework, Cid Highwind." He placed it into the old retired pilot's hands and stood up. "Get some rest, would you?"

"Of course, but... If Canti or Kain does wake up, please come get me."

"I would not hestitate. The Highwind family, now more than ever, needs to be united."


	60. Chapter 59: Loss of Sight

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes:

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Fifty-nine_

When Kain opened his eyes, he found himself sitting in what looked to be a hospital room. He looked around, noticing the very faint lights around the room. There was a small vase of flowers sitting on his nightstand close to the bed. He didn't see anyone else. He certainly didn't remember coming here.

Soon the door opened and Minwu walked in holding a clipboard. "The heir still lives," he said, picking a pen out of his pocket. "Amazingly."

"H-how did I get here?" Kain asked.

"What? You don't remember running off with Canti in hopes of hunting down the man who murdered your father, getting caught, and damn near dying at the hands of the hired mercenaries?" Minwu asked. "I didn't take you for the type to have memory loss."

"No, I remember all that, but..." Kain's mind was a total blur. "...getting here."

"The Warriors of the Water brought both you and your cousin to us," Minwu said.

"Is... Is Canti all right?!"

"As good as she could be after going through such an endeavor." Minwu took a seat, writing a few things on his clipboard. "What in Cosmos' name were you thinking?! You put her in danger, even though the order was given that you were to be her personal guard!"

"I was. She was the one that decided to find the man that killed my father. I told her to leave it to Uncle Cid and the Warriors, but she couldn't do that. She just... Ran off. If I didn't go with her, then... She very well could have died," Kain said, taking in a deep breath. He looked back at the flowers, wondering who could have sent them. "Still can't believe that... He's gone."

"Thank the Goddess that you two are still alive."

"I do."

A nurse stuck her head into the room. "You said to notify you when the other patient under your watch wakes," she said calmly.

"Thank you," Minwu said, bowing his head to her. The nurse left. "I'm going to check on your cousin, now. I hope she's as cognitive as you are. She suffered some blows to the head."

"I'll come with you!" Kain said, staring to throw off all the hospital bed covers.

"You will stay in bed or I'll cast Hold on you," Minwu said sternly. "Until you've been formally released, you aren't leaving this room."

"Then release me!"

"I can't. I'm only a white mage trainee. And my training's been taking a back seat to looking after you two, thanks to orders from Leviathan himself. Thank you for that." He left Kain's room quickly, eager to see how Canti was recovering.

Kain reached to see the card with the flowers. They'd been sent by Crystal. He didn't expect that at all, considering he'd never made much of his relationship with her. He smiled slightly, wondering how life would proceed now that his father was gone. It was hard to believe it, no matter how much he thought about it. He'd seen it. Richard Highwind's body desecrated on a cross made of spears that ran through him, blood covering his armor and dripping onto the ground below, made into a monument. It was hard to get that image out of his head. He had no idea who'd committed such an atrocity to the Grand Dragoon, but now he felt an immense weight on his shoulders. He'd been training to receive the title, and he always wanted to finally have it, but not like this. Tears burned in his eyes. Life didn't make much sense without his father there to show him the way.

...

Minwu walked into the room Canti was resting in, ready to write down any and all observations. He noticed that she was staring straight at him with a vacant look on her face. "Canti?" he called her, walking closer. "Are you... All right?"

She muttered under her breath something he couldn't quite make out.

"Do you recognize me?" he asked, coming to her side. Her eyes met with his. They were mostly unfocused, as if she couldn't exactly see what was in front of her. "Canti?"

"Minwu," she said, but her eyes were wandering off from him. "I know that voice. Always calming..."

"C-Can you see me?" he asked.

"Not with the light turned off," she grunted. "Turn it on. I'd love to see something that isn't a nightmare."

The light was faint, but it was still on. He made the light a little brighter. "Is that better?" he asked.

"Somewhat," she answered. "But my eyes, they're all... Fuzzy."

Minwu shook his head, his fluffy black hair tossing around as it moved. "I knew you'd been hit in your head, but..." he let out a sigh. "...I didn't realize it'd be this bad."

"What? What happened?" Canti asked. "Minwu, what's wrong with me? Why can't I see you?!" She began to shake, and he just went up to her, taking her hands in his and whispering in his native tongue. It felt like an eternity since she heard words in Mysidian. She held on tight to his hands. "What's wrong with me?"

"I don't know how to tell you this delicately," he said very gently. "I do not want you to be scared. We're going to take care of you to the best of our ability."

"I'm not scared, Minwu. You're here."

"And Kain is right across the hall."

"Is he?"

"Yes. He is also in recovery, but he is not as injured as you are." He reached to push her messy curly hair out of her face. "It looks like you've lost your eyesight. Based on what you've told me, I don't believe you are completely blind, which means we can do something about it."

She didn't know how to handle that information. Canti shook her head, trying to wipe her eyes over and over again. The more she did it, the more hopelessness overwhelmed her. "How can I... Go through school... Or even hold a weapon... If I can't even _see_!?"

"I know this is hard to take, but there are procedures we can do to try to fix that," Minwu said, trying to reassure her. He took her hands into his again to calm her down, but she wasn't having any of that. "But I need you to calm down before we can even begin to think about that."

"I'll be relying on the help of others forever! Just to get around, let alone do all the things I need to do," she said angrily. "I'm pretty damn sure they don't make Mysidian texts in braille!"

"Cosmos damn it," Minwu grunted, waving his hand to cast a sleeping spell on her. "Why am I overseeing both of the Highwind cases?!" He laid her back down as kindly as he could before writing on his clipboard.

"Goddess damned dragoons, am I right?"

He turned his head to look over at the door. "I'm sorry, but Cantirena is not ready to accept visitors. Please kindly about-face, forward-march right out of here."

"I wouldn't be allowed in here under normal circumstances. I had to make sure that she's all right. No one in my family will be allowed within a hundred feet of Canti once-"

"Once the trials are finished, yes, I'm well aware," Minwu said, turning to face the visitor at the door. "They'd be entirely justified in that decision."

"Tell me how she is, and I'll leave."

"And then you'll get the hell out."

"Yes. Absolutely."

Minwu sighed. "Canti seems to have lost her vision to a degree due to an injury your father inflicted on her when she tried to confront him about killing her uncle... We're going to do all we can to save it, so she isn't going to go blind, but if nothing is done quickly-"

"I'll pay for whatever she needs."

"If the Highwind family found out about that, they'd throw it back in your face and probably skewer me with one of their many spears..."

"Considering how close you are to two of the remaining members of the Highwind family, you're going to be safe from any and all accusations regarding anything."

"Mateus. Get out."

"I'm not the same sort of person my father is."

"I don't care."


	61. Chapter 60: New Day

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: Yeah, yeah, excuses include my girls are on fall break and I've started taking commissions on my crafts so I have less time to write. You probably don't care. Hell I doubt anyone's actually reading this anymore, and that doesn't bother me. I write this for myself anyway. I'm tired of writing to make other people happy, because that literally destroys my vision of things.

Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.

FIC START!

 _Chapter Sixty_

Minwu wasn't the type to get so defensively angry. He didn't know what had come over him so suddenly. Once Mateus had left the room, he turned back to check all of Canti's vitals and then double-checked them again. She was in perfect health, save for her eyes. When he started to walk out, still lost in thought about everything regarding the situation, he bumped into someone else with blonde hair. He was ready to give them a proper scolding when he noticed it was Cid Highwind instead of some other random classmate.

"Ah, Captain!" he said. "You must forgive me. I've been quite busy."

"I got a call on the Sphere. Said both the kids were awake," Cid said, standing there with his arms crossed. "But what I can see from here is that Canti's in a deep sleep. Care to explain what's going on here?"

"I can, but not here," Minwu said, leading Cid back to his makeshift office that he shared with other white mage trainees. "I've not had the chance to tidy things. Please have a seat."

Cid didn't bother. "Nah. I don't want to kick over all these documents. Seems like they're important. Just tell me what's going on. I haven't seen either of the kids since before they took off."

"The truth is, Kain is perfectly fine. He's even more energetic than I thought he should be after sustaining all his injuries, but you know how it is when someone you love is in trouble."

"Yeah, none of that matters," Cid let out a half-laugh. "I could be black and blue all over, but I'll be there to look after my daughter."

"Kain's no exception."

"That's a Highwind thing."

"I can see that. Even when adopted, they'll still run head first into whatever trouble there is when someone they love is in trouble," Minwu said, glaring up at him. "I want to put all the blame on Senator Palamecia for what he'd done, but honestly, it's also just as much her fault as it is his."

"How could you say that?!"

"...I'm not given the authority to judge one way or another," Minwu said, still keeping his cool under the pressure. "And it's against the code to take sides."

"You're a friend to both Kain and Canti, though."

"Unless they go and do something so incredibly stupid that they get themselves killed, and then it will be impossible to keep any sort of relationship with either of them."

"...yeah, I get it. Those two probably need more supervision and guidance than they get. I've always been lost in my work, and I'm pretty sure Richard put much more effort into being the Grand Dragoon than being a father," Cid said, his tone making his shame very clear. "I'm not going to deny that. But I don't think that's what drove those two to run off. Obviously they both loved my brother-"

Minwu put his hands up. "I've been Kain's unpaid therapist at school long enough and I told him I'm done with the Highwind family's internal affairs," he said. "As for Canti's diagnosis, she's been hit in the head incredibly hard. She was awake a bit ago but I sent her back to sleep because she was really beginning to panic."

"Panic?!" Cid gasped.

"I'm not sure how much of her vision she has lost. We haven't tested it yet."

"Do... What?"

"I know there's something that can be done about it, I just have to look into it," Minwu continued. "Until then, I'll be keeping her under constant supervision. I know that because of the trials, Leviathan will most likely come to question her, but I won't allow anyone to send her into an anxiety attack. I know from experience that's just as much in the Highwind blood as your innate sense of honor and ability to become dragoons."

"I don't know about Kain, but Richard was like that before he became the Grand Dragoon."

"Like I said, I was Kain's personal therapist for about two years when he started coming to me with all his problems even when I didn't ask for it. Seems like he had no one to talk about his feelings with and I felt bad for him. I know what its like to have no one that understands. And since Canti is studying Mysidian with me, I know for a fact that she does not handle anxiety well."

"Minwu..."

"You may speak to the First White Mage about Kain's release, but Canti will remain in hospital until I can help her with her eyesight."

"I can't disagree with that. Thank you, Minwu."

"Of course."

"And. I'm sorry you're so lonely."

"Huh?"

"Minwu, if... If you don't have anyone, the Highwind manor has plenty of space. I don't think the kids would disagree to having you stay with us."

"No, no, Captain. I couldn't." Minwu said, turning to look at a file sitting on his desk. He started scribbling on something. "That would not be proper."

"I know, but I don't see things as proper or improper. I've never been that sort of guy. You've done so much for everyone in Dagurreo that I don't think it's right to let you suffer."

"No. Go on, now. Focus on what's important. Your family must recover first and foremost." Minwu shooed Cid out of his office and frowned the moment he was out of eyesight. He wished he could live with someone, but... He had things to take care of, and being a part of a family would get in the way of that. He turned to the Sphere terminal on his desk, keying in a few things. It took a moment before anyone picked up the call.

"Hello? ...Minwu?!"

"Ah, yes! Young Master Bunansa! It's nice to see you... I have a favor to ask of you."

"Since when did you have enough clout to ask favors from me?"

"Since there is someone we mutually care about needs both of us to help her, naturally."

"I'm listening."

...

Cid was led into Kain's room, and when he walked over there, the first thing he wanted to do was slap the shit out of his nephew. But he held back, just staring at him. He had minor bruises and scratches, nothing he didn't expect. Of course, it had to be his daughter that got the heavy injuries. He really couldn't decide if that was his rotten luck, or hers. Always had to be hurting in one way or another, that girl.

Kain was still sitting on his hospital bed, expecting to be scolded up, down, and sideways over what happened. He stared at his uncle, who he knew was going to become his new legal guardian until he was the age of adulthood, waiting for it to start. He didn't have a defense for himself, honestly. He hated the fact that he couldn't stop Canti from being hurt. He couldn't avenge his father's murder, either. Kain felt utterly worthless.

"...do you have anything to say?" Kain asked, finally breaking the silence between them.

"I have a lot I could say," Cid said, crossing his arms. "But none of it would be productive. I think you've been through enough and I don't need to add to it."

"Ha..."

"What?"

"My father said you weren't very fatherly at all..." Kain confessed, trying to find something to smile about. "...and here you are, saying things like that."

"I hope his spirit heard me," Cid said, looking around the room. "You hear me, you asshat?" He let out a sigh, holding back tears. "Couldn't even take my side when it came to my parenting? Fuck you, too." His voice began to tremble as he spoke, so he decided to change the subject. "Anyhow. You'll be coming home with me to the manor today, so if you have anything with you, gather it up."

He pulled himself out of the bed and reached for his clothes. The same clothes he wore when he ran off with Canti to try to avenge Richard's murder. He didn't want to put those on, but he didn't have much to choose from now. "...and what of my cousin?"

"She's gotta stay."

"Did you go to see her?"

"She was sleeping. From what I understand, it's a magically induced sleep to keep her from working herself up over it," Cid explained. "Until they do what they're going to do, she isn't leaving."

"Uncle Cid..."

"I was going to punish you for putting my daughter in danger, but I can see it in your eyes that you're punishing yourself pretty damn hard, kid." Cid put his hand on Kain's shoulder. "Don't let it eat you up. Focus on what you can do now, not on what you couldn't do then."

"...what exactly can I do?" Kain asked.

"I wish I knew. C'mon. Let's get you home, and fix the place up a bit. When Canti comes home, she'll need a room all set up for her."

Kain nodded and followed his uncle out of the room, carrying all his stuff over his shoulder. He couldn't hide how morose he was. Even though it was a lovely day, he felt like he was walking through a windstorm and could be blown over at any second. His body was much heavier than usual. Even though he used to get around the city by jumping about like all the other dragoons, he couldn't feel the power of the wind in his step. He didn't think it was possible for him to lift himself off the ground to do a jump.

"Uncle Cid," he said quietly as he walked along with Cid. His uncle signed him out at the front desk and as they were leaving through the main door, he continued. "Did they get him, at the very least? The man who killed my father?"

"Yes," Cid answered. "He's on trial. It's all over the news on the Sphere here lately. You don't have to worry."

"I don't know if Leviathan will give him proper justice," Kain grunted. "He wouldn't kill a popular, powerful senator like Matteo Palamecia."

"If it were just the Grand Dragoon's murder he was on trial for, then probably," Cid said. "But there's more at play here than just that." He remembered reading through the file Leviathan had given him and came to a completely different understanding than he had before. "He also was the leader of a rebellion trying to overthrow all of the current Administration. High Treason is a serious offense."

"He wanted to be the new Headmaster?"

"Worse. The man had sights on turning this into the capital city of an empire, taking down the barrier, and using all of our protective forces to take over other places beyond. Leviathan had taken a sabbatical and the senator thought this was his chance," Cid explained. "Wrong move."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything about it," Kain muttered as they continued walking through the somewhat busy streets of Dagurreo that sunny Tuesday morning. "About anything. I'm... Powerless."

"I wouldn't say that. You have vast potential, and you'll only grow more."

"Uncle Cid, every day I used to make a vow to the statue of the water dragon in our garden. It was my secret," Kain said. "I wanted to be the Grand Dragoon more than anything. I wanted to take on my father's position and lead the family to great prosperity the same way he did."

"You're older now, so I think it's high time I tell you the truth," Cid said, letting out a sigh. "Your father didn't lead us to great prosperity, son. He was a figurehead. He was there to simply do nothing more than act on Leviathan's orders. Nothing he did once he accepted that title was his own decision." He turned his head a little to see Kain's face. The boy's eyes had widened upon hearing that news. "You should not aspire to be the Grand Dragoon."

"Then, what should I aspire to be?" Kain asked. "My whole life, I've been training with this one thing in mind!" He felt his heart race. He was starting to panic, and that was something he'd been wanting to avoid forever. He hated that sensation, that feeling of impending doom creeping along his skin, through his muscles, and settling right into his gut. "Uncle Cid, I-! If I'm not going to be the Grand Dragoon, then I... Don't understand..."

Cid nodded. "I can't tell you what you should aspire for. All I can tell you is to look into your heart and decide what's the most important thing to you. Instead of just being Leviathan's mouthpiece, I'd much rather you make your own decisions about how to live your life." He smiled, putting his arm around Kain's shoulders. "I believe in you, Kain."


	62. Chapter 61: Fatherly

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own shit except this AU's world and Canti herself.

Notes: Yes, this is a part of my main canon with other FFRK stories. In "Our Keeper's Keeper", Cid saw this world in his nightmares. It'll all be linked together eventually. Muhuhahaha.

Warnings: All the same warnings apply~

FIC START!

Chapter Sixty-one

Cid and Kain walked through the part of town between the Highwind Manor and the hospital briskly. Kain wondered why they weren't jumping, as that would have significantly cut the time to make it back home, but he also didn't even want to try to make that jump. He didn't feel the flow of the wind at the base of his feet as usual. He hadn't since he woke up in that hospital bed. He couldn't help but worry about Canti's condition. This area of town wasn't unfamiliar. They both knew all the houses they passed, from the tiny trailers to the huge mansions. Eventually, they came to the gate of the Highwind Manor.

Cid pressed the button on the gate. "Lemme in."

The voice on the other side of the speaker let out an audible groan. "Really, Cid? You can't at least sound like you're the inheritor of one of the most palacial estates in all of Dagurreo?" The gate swung open. "Whatever. Guess we just have to get used to the fact that you just refuse to be impressed."

"I grew up here," Cid rolled his eyes. "Nothin' impressive about this."

When they arrived at the front door, it burst open and there stood Hikari and Crystal with their arms out. "Welcome home!" they chimed together.

"Thanks, girls..." Cid grumbled, walking past them.

"I think your celebration is a tad short," Kain said quietly, following Cid into the main foyer of the manor.

"Wait a minute," Hikari said, putting her hands on her hips. "Exactly where is your cousin? We spent a while and all our combined gil to buy snacks for this-" she pointed at the huge spread of snacks on the long table behind her. "That you guys are all good and healthy and back home! What gives?!"

Kain just shook his head. "Uncle Cid, I'm going up to set up her room now."

"Do you need any help?"

"I just. Want to be left alone right now," he replied, heading upstairs without even speaking to either of Canti's friends.

"I'm so confused," Crystal said as she looked over at Cid.

"Canti's injuries were a... tad more serious," Cid explained. "She'll be staying a bit longer. I'm sorry you went to all this, but we have no idea when she'll be coming home."

"Oh. Oh okay, that's fine then," Hikari said, frowning. She then snatched Crystal's hair and dragged her to another room to keep her out of earshot from anyone within the manor's staff. "...that is certainly not fine..."

"I don't know what you think we're going to be able to do about it," Crystal whispered.

"We're not, but at least we should go bring her some of this cake to cheer her up at the hospital, right?" Hikari asked. "I mean, it isn't as good as that huge piece of work Mateus got for her, but it still counts for something."

"Yeah, but. She might be an the Intensive Care or something if her injuries were too bad," Crystal replied. "We don't know where that even is."

"We don't, but there is someone we know who does."

"Minwu!"

"Right. Let's go bother him and see if he'll tell us where we can find her."

"He's not likely to do it. Minwu is hospital staff. We don't know how serious it is, and clearly no one's going to talk about it."

"I'm not giving up. I'm going to see her!" Hikari declared.

"You probably shouldn't do that," Kain's voice said behind them. He was digging through his mother's linen closet, pulling out bedsheets and pillowcases. "Trying to sneak in there will only land you two in trouble, and Canti will feel bad about it when she hears you got in trouble over trying to see her. So just don't."

"She's your girlfriend," Hikari said, "You should want to see her, too."

"And your cousin, so, y'know. Family." Crystal tried to follow up, but she just felt like she tripped over her words instead of making any sort of impact with them.

Kain sighed. "She and I aren't dating... Right now is the worst time to talk about any of this. Honestly I really don't know why you're here."

"You don't get it!" Hikari growled. "We watched on the Sphere what happened before, y'know. Your father was taken by the Senator and... all that. We watched it on the Sphere. And then it was announced that the two of you were missing, we feared the worst had happened to you! We thought we'd never see you again, and... I don't want to go through that again."

"Again?" Crystal asked.

"What? Did I say again?" Hikari asked, shaking her head. "Don't mind me... Oh, wait, yes! Mind me!" She walked up to Kain and stared him straight in the eyes. "You're worried like crazy. That's why you're nesting."

"Nesting?" Kain asked.

"You're doing housework to make it better because you have no idea what else to do. You're nesting."

"When my cousin comes home, she has to have a place to sleep. I'm preparing her a room."

"Yeah, you're nesting," Hikari insisted. "Though I thought that only happened in pregnant women."

"But sometimes, the man can have sympathy pains and feelings from the woman that's pregnant," Crystal added. "Kain, did you and Canti="

"What kind of a crazy idea is that?" Kain asked in a panic, blushing like crazy. Not that the thought hadn't crossed his mind, he was after all, a fifteen year old young man who had all ready begun experiencing the bloom of puberty. The call to create children has indeed resounded in his mind a few times but he didn't feel like talking about it. "Of course not. We're far too young to engage in that sort of behavior. Now please stop being silly. I know you wanna see Canti, but truth is, she's probably not awake. Uncle Cid said the injury is with her eyes. They're keeping her asleep while they figure out what to do."

Hikari sighed. "Oh all right, fine. We'll drop it. But just so you know, Kain."

"What."

"Age of concent here IS fifteen. We're not too young anymore."

"How could you be thinking about that?!"

"How could you not? You've actually got a girlfriend!"

"I'm not dating her."

"Yet."

"Bahamut damn it..."

Mateus Palamecia sat at a table, one hand cuffed to it, staring at three officers that were all staring at him. He lost count of how long he'd been in there, but every passing minute, he wanted to set the whole place on fire. That troubled him. He'd always thought of himself as a very classy young man, but as time had continued and he grew older, he couldn't help but think of violence against all those who stood in his way for any amount of time. He couldn't help himself, imagining the crackle of burning flesh. The smell permiating the entire place. That was fitting for those who dare stand against him, he thought. To become a part of a rotten stench no one could be rid of.

"We just want to know," one of the officers repeated. "What use would your father have for one of your classmates?"

"You think my father and I ever had a conversation that wasn't just to put on camera to appease voters?" Mateus asked. "He never told me he had an interest in my classmates, let alone their value amongst our society. The man kept secrets of all kinds."

"Was he... y'know, interested in younger girls?"

Mateus shook his head. "What kind of an accusation is that?"

"We've found things, penned in your father's handwriting, at his desk in the senate, regarding kidnapping the Highwind girl," the other officer said. "So we know he has a vested interest in her. We just don't understand what it is he wanted her for."

"You want me to incriminate my own father!"

"You don't want to work out a deal?"

"What kind of deal do you think you could offer me that would make me want to incriminate my own father?!"

"None, probably, but we could offer to let you walk out right now and not question you further about it."

"...go to hell."

"You wanna sit there for the rest of the afternoon? Be our guest."

"Fuck you. I have no idea what my father was planning, but even if I did, I'd refuse to tell you twits about it."

"Suit yourself."

Yep, Mateus thought. How lovely it would be to burn it all to the ground. He couldn't wait to get a wiff of that man on fire. He smiled, leaning back into that incredibly uncomfortable chair.

Balthier had a sketchpad in his hand, drawing up something quickly before he passed the clipboard over to Minwu. "Something like what my father's been wearing here lately. Reconstructive glasses," he said, shrugging. "So while she's up and wearing them, they slowly work on restoring her sight to what it used to be."

"No, I think this idea is fantastic," Minwu said, gazing over the blueprints that was just handed to him. "But what's it made of? Normal glass couldn't achieve this="

"That's the thing. For these to work, we'd need something that we might not be able to get our hands on immediately," Balthier said. "Wind Crystal shards."

Minwu shoved the clipboard back into Balthier's hands. "And how the hell are you thinking you're going to get something like that?"

"Considering this is being developed for a Highwind, I figure I might just stroll right up to the front door and ask nicely," Balthier said, smiling. "Though I might need someone to go with me, otherwise there'd be a pretty tense layer of distrust to worry about."

"Actually... I have a better idea," Minwu said, turning to the Sphere terminal in front of him and dialing in a specfic address. "If you're there, Headmaster, there's something I'd like to propose to you regarding everyone's favorite dragoon in training."

Kain ran the broom through the room carefully, lost in thought while he did. Every stroke of the broom, he could hear his cousin laughing. On the other side of the room, he could see her standing in front of the huge wardrobe and pulling out pieces of her Garden uniform. She made a total mess of the room, but it was only as messy as her signature curly hair that never seemed to be able to be tamed. She hung up her moogle-head shaped purse on one of the banisters of the bed, and her messenger bag on the doorknob. The wardrobe had a drawer meant to contain fifty pairs of shoes, but it only contained a solid good three. Oh, how he missed her terribly and wished she'd come home as soon as possible. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen at that hospital. Perhaps those two girls had the right idea of going to visit her? They may have been incredibly silly about it, but their hearts were in the right place. Last time considering them too silly cost them all something dear. Perhaps he should have listened more to their prattle. He pushed the broom a few more times, and he really couldn't get the thought out of his head.

There was a knock on the door. "You holdin' up okay, kid?"

Kain turned around to give his uncle a frown.

"Lemme guess, you're bored with these chores?"

"Not really, Uncle Cid. Chores don't bother me at all. I just really miss Canti," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I've not been here a whole day without her and I can't get her out of my head! What's wrong with me?!"

"Sounds to me like you're sick, too."

"Sick?!"

"...lovesick, my boy," Cid said, laughing gently. "Nothin's going to take that feeling out of your heart until you see the one you miss more than anything again... kinda reminds me of my younger days, ha."

"Your... younger days?"

Cid nodded. "I was once in love with a top of the line mechanic that worked on my airship, back before I retired. She was hella talented. Always set out to correct my dumbass mistakes. I loved that woman more than I've ever loved anyone until I adopted Canti."

"What happened to the mechanic?"

"I ain't so sure about that. I wanna say she decided just to break it off, but we were getting serious before she disappeared," Cid said, shrugging. "I honestly don't know what happened to Shera... but I would have loved to make an honest woman out of her. No question, she would have made a good mama and a damn good wife."

Kain laughed out loud. "Sure is hard for me to imagine you married."

"You shut your mouth, damn kid!"

"Well, you put so much into your relationship with Canti, I really think you being married would take away from it. There's gotta be a reason why you aren't with that mechanic. Maybe she just didn't want children?"

Cid got contemplative for a moment, but he really didn't want to concentrate on it. "It's not important now," he said. "So, you think she'll like it in here?"

"I get the feeling she'll overreact and just say things like 'but but this might be too fancy for me'," Kain thought aloud.

"You're probably right!" Cid laughed. "I sent her little friends on home... no idea if they're actually gonna go home or not."

"Those two? You might want to keep an eye on them," Kain said. "Don't expect them to go home right away." 


	63. Chapter 62: Internal Grief

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I think you all know the drill by now, don't you?

Notes: What? Did you think I was just going to abandon this? Oh, hahaha. Fuck you.

Warnings: Same warnings always apply. If you're reading my stuff, you know what to expect.

FIC START!

Chapter Sixty-two

Kain had been the one fixing up Canti's new room all on his own. What was left of her things from their tiny little house on Junon Street had been brought over by the Warriors of the Water under Cid's direction, and he found every thing she owned a place. He thought everything made sense where it was, but who knew how she was going to take it. He could hear her making a fuzz about where all the things were, but still thanking him in that incredibly adorable voice of hers. It made him blush and it was just a figment of his imagination. The last thing she had to put up was a My Little Chocobo poster. His mother never let him hang normal posters up in his room. He decided to do something nice with it and have it framed, that way no damage could happen to it, and it would look much nicer on the walls instead of just pinning up the paper. He rolled it up and looked around the room, sort of proud of what he'd been able to do on his own. Downtown. there was a framer he could stop by to ask about this. He picked up his backpack from his own room right across the hall and heard noises downstairs. He reached for his spear, just in case. There wasn't going to be another sneak attack on the Highwind manor if he could help it.

"I'm sorry, what?" Cid's voice asked, causing Kain to grip the handle on his spear that much tighter. "I mean, I'm all for things that help her-"

"Then you understand that this might be the best solution available at the moment." Kain recognized that voice. It was of the Headmaster. He couldn't help but be on edge, even though he knew that Leviathan of all people didn't bear the family any grudges. "All we need are shards of the Wind Crystal, and we can get right on to building it."

"Technology is one thing, but breaking off pieces of a crystal?" Cid asked, bewildered. "Now that doesn't sound feesible at all."

"Feesible or not, what will save your daughter's eyesight won't be just some operation. This is something that will come over time. We can use shards of the wind crystal to develop reconstructive glasses. At first, she won't be able to see anything without them, but given a few years of constantly wearing them, and her vision will come back to where it was before the accident," Leviathan explained as Kain creeped through the hall and stayed out of sight enough to keep listening to their conversation. "As you are the acting Grand Dragoon, Cid, I need your permission to take any amount from the crystal at all."

"I don't feel right doin' this," Cid said, shaking his head. "I want her to be able to get back to having a normal life as much as anyone else, don't get me wrong, but... what of the Dragoons?"

"The only dragoons left are you, your nephew, and your daughter, I'm afraid," Leviathan said, but Kain couldn't really tell if he was sad or not by that. "You are all that remains of the mighty Highwind family. I think what would be left would be plenty for the three of you to be able to keep your ability to ride the wind."

"It's hard to believe that most of us are dead," Cid said. "I've still not really accepted that my brother's dead. It always feels like he'll be back eventually. One day. He'll be back and everything will go right back to the way it was before." He took in a deep breath, causing Kain to do the same. He leaned against that shorter wall, knowing that he'd be able to enter the conversation himself if all he did was just walk down those stairs and say something all ready. But part of him really didn't want to get involved. He wondered what he thought about the idea of using the Wind Crystal to make reconstructive glasses for Canti, and the idea did make him smile. Then again, he just wanted his cousin to come home all ready. That would have made it happen easily enough.

"You have to grieve in whatever way makes the most sense to you," Leviathan said. "Either way, I want you to think about Canti's eyes. If we can use the wind crystal to build her a pair of glasses to help restore her eyesight, then why not do it?"

"While I want to just throw in and tell you do to it without even hesitating, I know that Canti's not the only one that might need the wind crystal in the end," Cid said, as he started to pace. "We only have one wind crystal, y'know? There's not some substitution that you can make for that material at all?"

Kain stood up and forced himself to walk down the stairs. "Uncle Cid," he said, catching the attention of both Cid and Leviathan, "What are you just standing around for? You're supposed to be an engineer, right?" He stood directly between them and declared, "I'm Kain Highwind, son of Richard, and I say we do whatever it takes to restore Canti's eyesight!" He crossed his arms as he looked between the two of them.

"Did you not just hear me?" Cid asked. "There's only so much wind crystal-"

"The thing's huge, though," Kain said. "Remember at Canti's ceremony, how much bigger than her it was? There's no way we'll need to use the whole thing to make a pair of glasses. Right, Leviathan?"

Leviathan nodded. "Just a few shards."

"Since my father's dead," Kain said. "I give you permission to take what you need to make those glasses."

"Hold up," Cid said, "You can't just-"

"Uncle Cid, you say you're worried about our ability to jump," Kain said, staring straight up into his uncle's eyes. "Truth is, mine's all ready gone. We might as well give what Canti needs. I'd much rather have her be functional than waiting around to see if I'll ever be able to fight as a dragoon again." He held up his spear before he just put it back in the holster. Lot of good it did him if he wasn't able to jump. "You'll just stand there and question yourself and talk yourself out of things over and over again, when there's no way Leviathan would have come all the way out here if he didn't need what he was asking for."

"Kain..." Cid breathed out, watching his nephew's sad face only grow that much sadder. "...I know you love her."

"Having her back is more important than being able to ride the wind," Kain stated, trying not to break down into tears. "So. Do what you have to, Leviathan."

The water eidolon put his hand on the young man's shoulder. He knew that Kain had a lot of grief to process, and the heir to the Highwind family wasn't the type to allow his emotions to show. "You have a lot on your heart," Leviathan whispered. "I feel it all the way over here. Do yourself a favor, young man, and don't block those feelings out."

"I can handle myself," Kain said, turning to leave. "You do what you can to help Canti, or so help me, I'll impale you myself!"

Leviathan nodded. "I will do that."

When Cid wanted to reach out to him, Kain just pulled away from him and headed out the front door. "Kain, don't just-"

The door hung open until Kain pulled it shut with his hand. He headed up the sidewalk, through the fancy housing area that the manor was smack-dab in the middle of, and continued his walk towards the center of the downtown shopping area where he knew he'd be able to have Canti's poster framed. Kain wasn't used to walking this area anymore. He had jumped through it every other opportunity he had ever since he had learned how to jump years ago. He hated having to walk through it and deal with all the looks of his neighbors. He liked the lower developed area around where Uncle Cid's tiny little house used to be. Those people all seemed to have the right thing in mind. Just getting through the day without judging anyone else. There weren't many chocobo drawn carts out there, or even automobiles.

"Kain?" came a voice behind him. "Is that you?"

"I'm surprised to hear your voice coming from around these parts," Kain said, turning around to see one of his classmates standing there. "Locke Cole."

"You're walking through here? All that stuff they have on the Sphere all the time, I'm actually surprised to see that you've walked out of your manor," Locke said, extending his hand to him so that they might share a mighty handshake. "You could get mobbed by reporters or something."

"I don't care," Kain said, continuing on his way.

"But, doesn't your whole family have this... apperances thing to keep up?" Locke asked, following him.

"Did before. Don't care about it now," Kain replied. "Got something I have to take care of right quick, so if you aren't interested, please just leave me be."

"No, I wasn't planning on anything in particular, it's just that-"

"It's just what?"

"I met someone from around here," Locke said. "Took me a moment to realize the girl you sweet on is from here, too. Is that what you're doing out here?"

"...Locke," Kain grunted, annoyed. "Could you... just... stop, please? The girl I like just happens to be hospitalized because she's going blind. Now if you have something meaningful to say, say it so I can go and do my business."

Locke stopped. "Dude, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Now you do," Kain said, wishing he could just jump away. That made dealing with people so much easier.

"Wait, you don't have to leave all pissed off like that."

"Just leave me alone for now. I'll be back at Garden to deal with everyone else when... my father says it's time..." Kain trailed off, and Locke suddenly understood a lot more than he had just a few seconds ago. Kain immediately went back to stomping in the direction he was going. Locke decided to let him just do his thing, silently turning back to the house he'd been told to meet his new date at. It was around here somewhere.

Leviathan had gathered just shavings from the Wind Crystal into an envelope made of sacred cloth and took them to his own laboratory hidden beneath the city of Dagurreo. He looked over the blueprints of the glasses that Balthier had drawn up for him and placed the shavings of the wind crystal into a dish under a large laser that concentrated sunlight to its most pure state. He typed madly onto the control panel and suddenly that laser began to move. Leviathan sighed as he stepped away from it, allowing it to do what it needed. Taking a sip from his coffee cup. It wasn't going to take too long.

"So, will it be enough, Headmaster?"

"It'll be enough, yes," Leviathan said, turning to his Sphere screen. "The two of you have done quite well."

"That's great!"

"Do yourselves a favor and don't take credit for the design. I don't want anyone starting a fight with you over all this. Most people don't like the idea of taking a piece of something like the crystal to make something personal with it," Leviathan said. "There are so many that would put me under fire for allowing this... but considering, I don't see much of a choice here."

"She's more important than any of the rest of us, isn't she?"

"...what all do you know, Minwu?"

"I know a lot about the barrier, and what is beyond it... Everyone knows what happened to the rest of the Wu family, no thanks to you."

"Keep your trap shut, or I might send you to be with them."

"I never understood why you didn't."

"That's obvious, isn't it? You have a higher purpose. No matter what you know or what information you've been able to figure out, you have something much more important to do, and that is to take care of my little pet project, Minwu. I had hoped you'd be in Kain's position, but I won't dwell on that any further than I all ready have." 


	64. Chapter 63 - Posters and Glasses

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own shit except my OCs.

Notes: Hello, Notepad. What happened to formatting?

Warnings: All the same warnings apply.

FIC START!

Chapter Sixty-three

Canti lay in a bed, her entire body strapped into a machine that kept her in something of a stasis. Every hour or so, Minwu would unlock the doors to come in and check on her, see that nothing had changed since he had come the last time, and then he would lock it back up the way it was before. He hated how his dream of becoming a true white mage had become stained with Leviathan's legacy like this. Minwu kept up his appearances the way he always had, as well as look after the Eidolon's pet project. Sick people came and went through the halls of the hospital. Nothing about that ever changed, no matter how long he'd been doing this. Eventually when things settled down, he came to just sit in there next to Canti and let out a sigh. He didn't hate her, but he was tired of having to do things revolving around her. It wasn't her fault that Leviathan wanted to have her around for his purposes. She wasn't the one giving the orders to preserve herself out of some sense of vanity. Leviathan was the headmaster, be all-end all authority within Dagurreo. Minwu didn't have a choice about whether or not to follow the commands issued to him. Though, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have a life that wasn't completely dictated by political bullshit.

"You like the company of the comatose?" Leviathan asked as he stepped in, holding a small package in his right hand.

"Better than the company of many others," Minwu replied flatly. "Did you finish it?"

"I did indeed!" Leviathan was nothing short of giddy about it. He walked over to the control terminal and flipped a few switches. "Release those locks. I would like to test these."

"Test them? I thought they were constructed to perfectly fit her optic nerves," Minwu grunted.

Leviathan glared at him. "That doesn't mean they'll automatically work."

"And if they don't?"

"I might have to go get more crystal shards."

How could he be so nonchalant about this whole thing? Minwu didn't want to deal with Leviathan any longer than he had to. "You barely managed to make it out with any the first time. I don't see anyone letting you have extras."

"Then this better work. Don't you agree?"

Canti's system began to wake up, one process at a time. Her neurons sparked back and forth on the computer monitor, Her breathing was no longer controlled by the system. She was slipping from being comatose to just simply being asleep. Leviathan looked over at Minwu. "Send the notification," he said. "She'll be a lot easier to deal with if she gets to walk through the waking process with her family."

"Sir," Minwu sat down at the Sphere terminal. "Calling the Highwind Manor."

"I'd like to have a poster framed," Kain said, putting the rolled up poster on the counter in front of him. "It's a gift for my cousin."

"Ahh," the framer said, unraveling it. "Cute. I can have it all custom made for this poster by the end of the week, if that's fine with you."

"Truth is, I wanted to have it done as soon as possible," Kain continued, "my cousin's in the hospital, y'know? I don't know when she's gonna be allowed to come home."

"Is two days fine with you?" the framer asked. "I can put you up to the top of the que..."

Kain reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet and slapped down a few hundred gil. "Is this enough?"

"Perfect!" the framer said, taking the poster and the money. "Yes, yes, I can have this ready tomorrow evening."

"Make it happen," Kain said, turning around, crashing into someone else. "E-excuse me-"

"Thought I saw you coming in here," a familiar voice said. "Young master Highwind."

"YOU!" Kain pulled back immediately. "Y-you should be locked up with that traitorous father of yours!"

"...I wasn't even there when it all went down. You can't seriously blame me for what happened." The one who had bumped into him was none other than the son of Senator Palamecia, Mateus. He pushed up the glasses that were hanging around the tip of his nose. "I am truly sorry for what my family has done to yours. I-I couldn't imagine that my own father was planning something so terrible."

"You have no right to even speak to me," Kain growled. "Your father... he slaughtered mine!"

"I'm aware of this, and I apologize on his behalf."

"Your empty apologies are supposed to mean something to me?!"

"No. Even so, we must co-exist whether you like it or not. We live in the same community and attend the same school," Mateus said as calmly as he could manage. "Your anger is justified, however misguided at the moment."

"All of you are guilty as far as I'm concerned..."

"I understand you hold us this way, but-"

"Let me pass!"

"You will stop and listen to what I have to say," Mateus said sternly. "I will not allow you passage until you at least grant me the chance to speak with you plainly. Whether you take heed of my words, I care not."

Kain took in a deep breath and just nodded without saying anything else. Just to make the guy shut up and get the hell out of his way!

"Your cousin was gravely injured," he continued. "The moment I learned of the severity of it, I decided to do the right thing and pay for every treatment and expendeture out of my family's personal accounts. You may not like that. I don't care. I needed to do it. You may think my family's money is dirty. I don't care. Money is money, and it makes the world move when nothing else will. Considering the state your family is in, you should be a little more thankful."

"Is there anything else?" Kain asked, trying not to just lose every bit of temper he had in him.

"There is plenty else, but clearly you do not wish to hear it."

He was thankful that someone would be willing to take care of whatever costs there were to his cousin's care, but that didn't stop him from hating his classmate with a deep seated passion from the very core of his being. "Say what you have to all ready, then."

"I do not mean to put you off," Mateus spoke plainly, inviting Kain to follow him outside. "The last thing I've wanted was a rift between our families. I have always held your father's work in high regard, and you are just as talented as he. You have been training to become the Grand Dragoon as long as I've known you."

"Get to the point."

"You and I are the heirs of two families that are completely devastated by current events, and I wish to propose a truce between the Highwind and Palamecian houses," he said. "I apologize for all of the heinous acts my father has committed against not just your family but the rest of our country. Leading rebellion against Leviathan is treason. Even more, I adore your cousin. The fact that he hurt her so badly makes me hate him as much as you do, if not even more." Mateus put his hand over his heart. "Knowing that poor girl has been hurt by my own blood, I-"

Kain couldn't help but believe that all of this was mere theatrics. "You just want to be close to Canti and the wind crystal. Please don't give me all this bullshit about feeling sorry for her or my family."

"You wound me!" Mateus exclaimed. "I do mean what I say now! I care about her the way I've always cared about you!"

"You don't care about me... You've always meant to exploit and use me to your own ends!"

"Do you really think someone who wished to exploit and use you would have spent that summer with you the way I did? At one point, you even felt something for me."

"What you did, I-"

"I went too fast with you then, and you've kept me at arm's distance ever since... Would you ever consider-"

Kain slapped him away. "I would never!"

"I want nothing more than to have a positive relationship with both you and your cousin. Kain and Canti... and me. With the powers of both of our families together, we could completely change the way this country works!"

"Forget it!" He started to walk off.

"I can't forget what I had with you, and what I want to have with Canti..."

"If you come withing spitting distance of her..."

"Oh, of course. the knight has to protect his lady..." Mateus shrugged, turning away. "...I'm not surprised."

Kain wanted to disembowl Mateus with every ounce of strength within his body. He watched the son of that bastard wander off before deciding that it was time to head back to the manor. He'd been bothered by enough people all ready, People! Everywhere! They all had nonsense to say! No one had anything to say that he wanted to hear. Best not even bother with people if at all possible.

Canti's eyes opened slowly. Leviathan watched every little movement she made transitioning from that near stupor to being fully awake. She didn't have much of an emotional response to what was going on, but he believed that to be a side effect of the medicine being dripped into her IV. Her eyes looked around everywhere, without any focus or centering on one thing. He touched her forehead just a bit to see if she'd react to him. At first, she didn't. But given a few moments, she realized a hand was against her skin.

"Can you hear me?" Leviathan asked gently.

"Headmaster?"

"Yes."

"I'd been... dreaming," she said. It was odd, not hearing her tone shift around.

"What about?"

"I was enrolled at a big university, sort of... like Garden, but much bigger... and it wasn't just a school, but also a home..." she answered. So sleepy. She spoke like she was mid yawn. "I saw you and many other people I know, but the roles were so different. Kain wasn't my cousin, but he was like my knight instead. And Papa Cid, he wasn't really my father, but I called him that anyway. I guess real life will carry over to dreams in one way or another..."

"How interesting," Leviathan said. "How are your eyes now? Can you see any better?"

"Everything's still really blurry."

"I have something that might fix that," he said. "Are you willing to try it?"

"I need my eyes. So. Yes?" Internally, the eidolon was laughing at her deadpan answer.

He prepared the glasses between his hands and slowly slid them onto her face. "How about this?"

She gasped for a moment, trying to move backward, but being in a hospital bed made that impossible. She looked around through the lenses, being able to see more clearly than she ever had before. "How'd you-"

"These glasses are made specifically for you," Leviathan explained. "They are attuned to your optic nerves. I'm sorry to tell you this, but the injury you sustained at the hands of the senator almost destroyed the part of your brain that deals with your ability to see, so. I had these made for you. You will wear them every day and have your eyes checked every month for the rest of your life. Do you understand?"

"Why would you do this for me, headmaster?"

"I have many reasons, but the most important of them is... I like you. I want to see where your path takes you. You being mostly blind makes that quite difficult."

Canti watched as the headmaster pulled the bandages off her arm so he could pull the IV needle from her arm. It stung. She was very glad that she didn't have to be awake for it to have gone in. That would have been impossible. She liked spears, but needles were just too much for her. "Headmaster?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"You are very welcome," he said. "While I won't have you checking out of the hospital just yet, the white mages at the front desk have told me that visitors have been waiting for you in the main office for literal hours. I'll tell them to have your visitors sent in. Turns out they snuck in, looking for a way to see you." He wheeled the IV away to the far side of the room. "They're just as obstinate as you are."

"You mean Crystal and Hikari, don't you?"

"You had other visitors, but they are the ones that wait for you now."

"...that's..."

"Very kind of them, yes. I agree. I'll have them sent in. I know you'd rather talk to your friends than to me."

"You say that like I hate you."

"I don't mean it that way, and I'm very sure you don't, either." 


	65. Chapter 64: Seeking Answers

Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: Don't own this shit.

Notes: LOL I'm still working on this even though no one else cares. Hell I don't know if I care. But here I am anyway.

Warnings: You know the list of warnings by now.

FIC START!

Chapter Sixty-Four

Canti didn't like the glasses that sat upon the bridge of her nose. She didn't like the fact that Leviathan gave the order that once a month, her eyes would be checked. She didn't like the fact that she couldn't just go home now that she was awake, and honestly, she really didn't like the food she'd been served. It was disgusting. Hospital food was literally the worst. Well. She sniffed the fake mashed potatoes. It tasted like paper flakes drowned in solidified milk. The meat was tough, the brownie was harder than a test in Monsterology, and she just wanted to go home and eat pancakes shaped like bunnies.

"Oh, you're actually alive," Hikari said as she and Crystal walked in holding Get Well Soon cards and bundles of flowers. "Here I thought they were just bullshitting us the entire time."

"Nice to see you, too," Canti grunted. "All jokes aside, how are you?"

"Just worried as hell for you," Crystal said, shrugging. She offered Canti the flowers, and Canti took them, not really knowing what to do with them. "So. Exactly when are you gonna be able to go home?"

"We actually planned a 'you survived almost being murdered' party earlier, but we were kicked out of your family's manor because you didn't come home," Hikari said, taking a seat. "Honestly. What the actual fuck happened?"

"I made a stupid decision to go and try to avenge my uncle's murder," Canti said, shrugging. "Leviathan says they got 'im, but... who knows how true that is."

"No, he's been all over the news. They really did get him," Crystal nodded. "I'm glad. He wanted to completely overthrow the government!"

"Worse is that the whole country has been turned upside down. All the senators that sided with Palamecia were sent away," Hikari continued. "That's seventy-five percent of them, at least. I don't remember the exact number. But still. Your life's gonna be that much more messed up because both your dad and your cousin are prepping to lead the Warriors of the Water to bolster the defenses after what happened."

Canti frowned. "Guess that means I'm gonna have to do the same..." she didn't particularly like the idea of having to deal with all the military nonsense.

"You sound disappointed."

"I'll get over my disappointment. It doesn't really matter if I'm disappointed or not. Leviathan's rules are his rules, and the tests determine what classes we enroll in, every decision we make is planned out from the fucking get-go whether we like it or not," Canti snapped. "So. I'll either deal with it, or I'll end up like the senator."

"You seriously aren't identifying with the man that destroyed your life, are you?" Crystal asked, bewildered after having heard that.

"There had to be a reason why he wanted to overthrow the government."

"Yeah, because he's a fucking asshole that wanted power," Hikari said bluntly.

"If one has power, one can make changes," Canti said, shrugging. "Part of me is angry, of course. My uncle - Kain's dad - was killed, and the Highwind Legacy isn't exactly secure anymore. But I can't blame him for wanting to make changes. I don't have the power to change the world, so I can't change my situation." She sighed, looking straight up at the ceiling. "Sorry, girls. I didn't mean to bring you down with my internal thoughts of the day."

"I miss when we used to meet under the peach tree at Garden," Crystal muttered. "Before... things happened..."

"Time doesn't go backward," Canti said. "We're stuck where we are."

"I don't think that's entirely true," Hikari thought aloud, though she was quick to be dismissive about it when the other girls had this peculiar expressions on their faces directed right at her. "Either way. We just have to do what we can to get through the day. Take it one day at a time."

"Yeah..."

"You know, Canti," Crystal said. "Your glasses. They suit you."

"Leviathan said they were built just for me, with special lenses keyed to my optic nerves. They're supposed to slowly rebuild my eyesight."

"That's pretty cool," Hikari admitted. "I didn't even know things like that were possible."

"I didn't either," Canti said. "I don't like them, but. They're neat. Couldn't see without them, so might as well get used to them."

"Fair enough."

Kain made his way back to the Highwind Manor, lost in thought. He avoided pretty much everyone, and when he thought they were going to speak to him, he just kept his head down. Without the wind's blessing in him, he couldn't just jump away. Not only did he fail his father in upholding the family tradition of being the Grand Dragoon, he failed his cousin with his inability to protect her. He tried to remember exactly how she was injured in the head, but he couldn't quite visualize it. But he did remember being shocked inside and out with electricity. He could still feel his nerves be fried with the prickles manifested by a Thundaja. He could still hear her screams for his aid, and pounding against some wall or whatever it was. The senator was a cruel bastard, and Kain hoped for nothing short of an execution for him. Harming the two most important people in his life, there was nothing more deserving of being hung from the gallows. Once he made it home, the door was opened for him. He made his way to the kitchen, snatched an apple without even asking for it, and slowly went up to his room without a word said to anyone. He could hear his Uncle Cid rambling about something in front of the Sphere Terminal. Kain didn't give two shakes of a rat's tail about whatever it was. He plopped face down upon his bed, recalling that night when Canti was so scared that they shared the bed together. He clenched his fists, crushing the apple between his fingers, causing it to crumble onto his bedspread and become a mess in his hands. How could he be so powerless? How could he let her - even after the government order that he was to be her guardian - be hurt like this. His eyes burned once he saw the plush of the Eidolon Bahamut sitting on his nightstand. She had got him that for Christmas, and while he couldn't do anything but blush when he got it, he knew it was nothing less than a gift given out of the purest love. She didn't deserve the treatment she got from the senator. She didn't deserve to lose her eyes. She didn't deserve...

...she didn't deserve someone like Kain, who would fail her again, especially now with his special abilities gone...

Tears ran down his cheeks. How he wanted nothing more than to be in her company, to comfort her, to hear her laugh. Kain wondered if the reason why his powers had been recinded had something to do with the fact that she was blessed by the crystal recently. Was it the Wind Crystal that punished him for being unable to fulfill the orders given to him by Leviathan? He wiped his tears away and decided it was time to go back to the Great Hall. The last time he was there, it was Canti's blessing ceremony. He was going to tell the crystal how he felt and, maybe, just maybe, get his ability to jump back. He had to be able to ride the wind.

As he was coming back down the stairs, he saw Cid. Looked like he was heading out. But Kain wasn't gonna say anything. He didn't really want to go anywhere.

"Hey," Cid said. "Got a call from Leviathan. Canti's awake."

"That's great, Uncle Cid," Kain answered, his tone still low. "I'm glad to hear that."

"You wanna come with me to pick her up?"

Kain shook his head. "No."

Cid shifted his weight to his other leg. "I know you blame yourself, kid, but... what could you really have done? Senator Palamecia is a powerful sorcerer."

"I don't want to talk about this right now," Kain grumbled, continuing to walk down the stairs. "Please let me deal with it on my own terms."

"The last thing I want to see is you imploding," Cid said. "My brother would not want that for you."

"Leviathan named me as Canti's personal guard," the teenage dragoon said as he turned away. "I'm completely unqualified for it. Clearly."

"You are in training! You can't do this to yourself! You think I haven't fucked up a time or two on my own missions?"

Tears started to form in Kain's eyes again, so he darted behind his uncle and headed into the kitchen. He took a pear from the fruit bowl onto the counter and, despite Cid calling after him a few times, darted out into the backyard. Kain couldn't handle that. So what if Cid fucked up in the past. What was he, a pilot? So what? It's not like his decisions determined the safety of the person he cared about the most! He went to the center of the once-glorious backyard. Most of the shrubberies that stacked up like a maze through here when he was a kid no longer were perfectly quaffed. They were prickly and overgrown in some places, and dead in others. It was more like walking into a giantic tumbleweed than it was walking into his backyard. Kain came across the statue that he used to promise every single day that he would be worthy of becoming the Grand Dragoon, and thee moment he placed his hand upon the statue, he bit his lip. Cid had told him before, when taking him home from the hospital after that whole incident, that the world wasn't what he was led to believe. That his father's position was not that of strength, but one being a mouthpiece for Leviathan himself. The dragon statue stood as prideful as it had when it gave Kain inspiration as a kid. "Father," he whispered. "You raised me with the intent to become the Grand Dragoon. You... told me that I would one day inherit your legacy, your position. That I'd be just like you... but... you're wrong..." Kain pulled his hand away from the statue and turned away from it. "I'll never be worthy of being just like you... I'm worthy only of being whoever it is I'm supposed to be."

He heard the sound of a chocobo drawn carriage clip-clopping outside. Cid must've been heading out, then. That gave him the perfect opportunity to go to the Great Hall.

Maybe now he'd get some kind of answer. 


	66. Chapter 65: Present Future's Vision

**Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon**

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Notes: *stifles a laugh and just stares at the camera with one of those if-looks-could-kill expressions* _Hi_ ~ Nice to see you~

Warnings: If you read my material, you know what to expect. Can't stop, won't stop.

 _ **FIC START!**_

 _Chapter Sixty-five_

Kain waited until he heard complete silence before he went anywhere near the sacred chamber where the Wind Crystal was kept. His Uncle Cid had left to the hospital to recover his cousin, and that wasn't going to be a very long outing. This was his chance. Now that there were no nagging servants to bother him, he was able to quickly slip through the hidden door that led to the secret door that led to the real reason why the Highwind family was blessed as much as it was. Many on the outside of the family believed it was because of their high prestige within the government - leading the Warriors of the Water gave them immense political power, not to mention their connection with Leviathan himself. The only light inside the chamber glimmered from the crystal itself, which was a pale green - the color of a cure spell's aura that reminded him of a gentle breeze comforting him on a workout after a sweaty summer afternoon. The door closed behind him on its own, clicking to signal it was closed all the way. He glanced behind him for a moment, now unable to see the exit of the chamber. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. But after turning to face the crystal, he choked down his fear, and headed deeper, closer to the magical artifact that he didn't quite understand completely.

Something about being in here alone gave him a sense of nostalgia. He couldn't exactly remember why, as he'd never been in the presence of a crystal on his own. He could hear voices telling him not to go any closer to the crystal. I am not going to steal it, he thought back at those voices. I just want to ask why it has taken away my ability to ride the wind. Why would anyone think that?

It hovered off the floor, always rotating and keeping its position. The crystal was as tall as a person, maybe even taller. He couldn't quite tell exactly how much it towered over him, only that it did. When Kain looked at himself, he could see the pale green glow tint his clothing and his skin. There were swirls of energy that circled around its circumference at the same level of his feet, and the energy wound up the sides of the crystal before fading back into darkness.

"Oh, wind crystal," he said, bowing his head respectfully. "I come to you alone to seek answers that I cannot find anywhere else. I know we only see you during the family ceremonies, but-" A stream of energy flowed out to him from the crystal. He reached up to touch it, letting it lace between his fingers and around the back of his hand, feeling something akin to a soothing touch against his skin. It reminded him of his mother, and how much he missed her. "-huh?"

"Young dragoon," Kain heard a voice speaking. He looked around the room for a moment to see if anyone else was in there. For a moment he feared that damn Bunansa kid had snuck in here somehow. But that voice didn't sound like a person he knew. "What troubles you?"

"I know that you, O wind crystal, give us in the family the ability to ride the wind," Kain tried to explain himself as formally as possible to the crystal itself, not the weird voice, as he was afraid of being turned away for not being formal. "I wish to know why you have taken away your blessing. I... If I am not worthy, I wish to know what I can do to become worthy again."

"The Crystal does not give the ability to ride the wind," the voice replied.

"I'm trying to talk to the crystal..." Kain muttered, annoyed at the voice.

"What leads you to believe this is not the crystal replying?" the voice asked.

Kain cocked his head to the side, shaking his head. "There is so much I do not understand..."

"On that, you are correct, young dragoon."

The crystal glowed that much more intensely, becoming so bright that Kain had to put his hands up to protect his face. When the light faded enough to allow him to see, he looked back up at the crystal and let out a gasp. There was a vision in the crystal's center, a magical projection of sorts. A man, wearing very obviously dragoon style armor. "What?" he asked. "What is this?"

"This is who you are," the voice replied.

Kain stared up at the vision. While the armor was similar to that of what his father wore, this was more ornate. He noticed the spear in the vision's hand was much different. And while his father had gloved hands, his were bare - though his fingernails were painted dark to match his armor. He had seen this image before, but he had a hard time remember exactly where. That's when he remembered his dear cousin, which reminded him of the dreams he'd been having about them being older and living in some other world beyond the barrier, and... he blinked a few times. "I have seen this before... in my dreams..."

"You have."

"...great crystal, forgive me, but I do not have much time. Please. I beseech you for answers before I am caught in here when I'm not supposed to be... Why have you taken away my blessing?"

"The crystal does not give the ability to ride the wind," the voice repeated. "That is something that comes from within yourself."

"We are taught from a young age that it is because of you that-"

"The crystal does not give the power to ride the wind." It repeated. "It is your own power that gifts you that ability."

"But, then... why can I not do it as I was able to before?"

"The crystal does not give the power to ride the wind."

"...I came here for that exact answer. I need to be able to ride the wind!" Kain said, becoming increasingly impatient at the situation. He didn't really know what the crystal was, but he was annoyed at it.

"Look inside yourself, young dragoon. Your wounds have hindered you more than any other being ever could. You need time to heal as much as your cousin does."

"I am not the one that was rendered nearly blind."

"And yet, you are, to the problems you face. Even with all the magical power that flows within the crystal, it cannot heal your guilt. It cannot heal your need to mourn. It cannot just magically take away those emotional burdens that inhibit you."

Kain felt his entire body slump with his body weight, closing his eyes hopelessly. "I... just wish to protect that which is most precious to me. How can I do that if I'm unable to fight? I am a dragoon, and the entire basis of that is being able to Jump."

"Again. You are wrong. You may be a dragoon, but the entire basis of being a dragoon is not being able to Jump."

"But. Then. What is it?!" Kain shouted, lashing out. He had so much pent up frustration and anger towards the world and himself that he didn't know what to do with it, and this constant being slammed down was enough to push him over the edge completely. The desperation built within his entire being. It seemed as if the entire world he knew was crumbling around at his feet, and he had no idea how to manage it.

The crystal's energies flowed along the floor and circled around his feet. Even though he was pent up with all sorts of negative emotions, the breeze the crystal provided seemed to soothe him in the moment. He felt tears stream down his cheeks as he watched the swirling faint magic envelop him. It was the first time he really cried since he found out his father was murdered. " The energy swirled about his entire body, brushing his long blonde hair around. Kain looked back up at the crystal, looking at that image of himself. For a moment, he thought he saw the vision wearing another set of armor, of a much lighter color with his face and hair fully exposed. But then it went back to the traditional draconic armor. What exactly was that? He started to turn around to leave, because this was getting him no closer to what he needed, and he'd be punished for coming in here on his own if he was caught. But, that's when the image of himself turned and looked at him, causing him to stop completely.

"Dry your eyes." This voice was different from the one that was speaking before. Was... was that what he sounded like? Was his voice really with that deep? "Do not lose yourself in this desperation."

"...how am I supposed to do _that_?" Turned out, his voice wasn't exactly that deep, but it wouldn't be that far of a stretch to believe that would be his voice when he was older. Kain came here to talk to the crystal for answers, but he was speaking to himself in the future... or something...? He was more confused than anything, and he tended to be so sure of what was real and what wasn't. Perhaps, he thought, this was a manifestation of the crystal's power. Not much was known about the power or the will of the crystal, since Ricard Highwind forbade research into it, only told those in the family to protect it. Was it something that harnessed the power of divinity?

"Focus on what is truly important."

"My father said that so often, and I always paid attention to what he said was important... I never once made a decision on my own."

"Now that he is gone," the Kain in the crystal said, "You must stand on your own two feet, Kain Highwind. Regardless if you can ride the wind."

"I must protect the ones I love," Kain said. "I have been raised to be a dragoon, it is the only way I know how to fight. I can't stand on my own if I can't defend myself."

"Not all battles are with weapons."

* * *

By the time Cid made his way to her room in the hospital, Canti was sitting up and awake. He had all ready spoken with Leviathan about maintaining her vision check up routines and other things to be aware of. All that was left was to take her home. Her friends had left. She kept adjusting the glasses that sat upon the bridge of her nose. It would take a lot of getting used to. He stuck his head in the room, his eyebrows furrowed upward with parental concern. "Baby girl?" he asked, causing her to look up from the pattern of tiles on the floor.

"Papa," she greeted him happily, but it wasn't as excited as he was used to her being. Her calmness almost surprised him.

"...I had a whole speech prepared for you," he said, walking in. "I was going to tell you how goddess-damned stupid it was for you to go running into enemy territory like that." Cid watched her as she climbed off the bed, appearing to be sorry all ready. Her body language conveyed more than enough. "But, honestly, I'm just so relieved to see you alive."

"I'm not," she muttered, adjusting the glasses yet again. That expression made it clear that exactly how annoyed she was over them being there.

"That's too bad," he said, coming to her side. He ruffled her hair a bit and they shared an embrace. "So. A few days of letting your eyes rest, and you'll be going back to Garden."

"Are you sure?" Canti asked. "Life just... goes back to normal, after... _everything_?!"

"Pumpkin, what-"

"Your brother, Kain's father, was murdered!" she shrieked at him. "How can you just..."

"The man that hurt you and Kain, and killed Richard, is in custody," Cid said. "You don't have to worry about that. He can't hurt anyone anymore-"

"Even if he wasn't always getting along with you, he was still my uncle," she said, fighting back tears. "He still took care of me like I was his own whenever you were too busy with work. He still accepted me as family even though he didn't have to."

"Richard loved you as he loved Kain," he said, bending down. "And I know, you're angry. I am, too. But... there's nothing more that we can do, now that the bastard's been caught." Cid looked into her eyes through her lenses. He could see them clearer than before, as the lenses made them seem larger than they actually were. "Come on. We should go home."

"Our home on Junon Street is gone now, though..."

"Yes. We're fixing up the Highwind Manor and make it into our home."

"I'm... kinda surprised that Kain didn't come with you," she said, looking over at the door. That felt odd. He had always been a force to support her through the years. When she ran off to do something stupid, he went with her. He didn't even try to stop her.

"I offered to bring him, but... he's torn up inside over the fact that he let you get hurt. He's shouldered so much guilt, he doesn't know how to handle himself. Poor kid." He put his hand on her head. "You all ready to go?"

"I don't have anything to take home with me, except my glasses. So. Yeah. Let's go."


	67. Chapter 66: Worth Protecting

Project: RE

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy.

Notes: HOW MANY TIMES WILL THIS STORY CHANGE ITS NAME?! *slaps story with a SSBM fan repeatedly* Stop doing that, you! *whap whap whap*

Warnings: All of my usual warnings still apply.

FIC START!

Canti followed her father up to the front door of the Highwind Manor. She could barely remember the last time she'd ever come here. A lot of her memories were a tad fuzzy, but Leviathan did mention that was typical given the head injury she had sustained. She fixed her glasses for what felt like the millionth time as he pushed it open. There were no more servants or extra staff in the manor. Made it feel incredibly empty. Canti stared straight up at the gigantic chandelier above, how it lacked the shining that reminded her of the twinkling stars so many times before. The place smelled of dust. Just... how long had she been gone, exactly?

"Welcome home," Kain said, stepping into the main foyer.

"Kain!" Canti shouted happily, racing over to him to hug him so tightly that it was like he was being tackled. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"I'm just glad you're home," he said, gripping to her just as tight. "Looks like the plan worked. I'm glad I told Leviathan to do exactly what you needed." He felt an overwhelming sense of relief as he held onto her as she planted a kiss on his forehead. His eyes watered just a little, but no tears slid down his cheeks. "Forgive me for being unable-"

"Kain..." she said in a very scolding tone of voice. "...don't blame yourself. I was the stupid one, I led us both into danger. I thought we could..."

"Nonsense," he whispered. "It is my duty as your personal guard to see you safe... I will follow you through every layer of Hell without hesitation. I don't even have to think about it."

"That's stupid," she answered, pulling back away from him.

"What?" he gasped.

"If you're really my guardian, you should probably insist that what I'm doing might be dangerous," Canti said bluntly. "You didn't even bother telling me anything like that. I grabbed my spear, you grabbed yours, and that was that."

Kain cocked his head to the side. "Why, so you can ignore me and just go and do it regardless of what I say?"

"If you had been hesitant, I might have listened."

"That's not something you tend to do."

She used her left hand to lightly thwack him on the head. "You're right, but I should be listening to those who care about me more than I do. Honestly, cousin, I... I'm sorry I'm so stubborn."

"I should have protected you better," Kain muttered.

Cid nodded as he passed them having their reunion, sneaking back into the family room to access the Sphere terminal. There was quite a bit to work on, now that the family was back together. As he listened in on their conversation, he understood a lot more about those two than he did previously. Based on Canti's observations, he went with her without protesting, which meant that he wanted to enact revenge. It wasn't something that Kain would openly admit to - revenge was something that Richard highly regarded as something base and character defiling. Right now he was trying to separate himself from the image of his father left on him. And Canti, learned to be cautious, or at least at tad bit more than she had been before. He reached for the file that Leviathan had given him. "Hey, you two," he said, turning back to look at them.

"Yes, Papa?" Canti came over to where he was seated and Kain followed her a tad slower.

"Don't go outside the fence," he said. "Kain, no matter how much she says she wants to go somewhere else - the answer is no. Understood?"

"I don't want to go anywhere," Canti said. "Who knows what kind of trouble might start?"

"Good attitude to have," Cid said with a nod.

Kain took her hand and motioned towards upstairs. "We did set your room up while waiting for you."

"Not that all my stuff is here. I bet a lot of it was destroyed when. Well. You know."

"Not as much as you might think," he said, trying to be encouraging. "At least come and see it?"

"If you want me to come and see it that badly, I should," she said with a shrug.

* * *

Canti let Kain lead her to the room where she stayed the last time she slept over in the manor. It made sense that they'd repurpose it to be her room, now that she thought about it. It wasn't being used for anything before. He gestured for her to turn the doorknob, and she did. Canti knew that Kain wanted her to be happy with it. Even if he wasn't saying anything, she could read the way he was standing there with that dumb look on his face. She'd seen it in others before a few times - when they expected her to be a certain way. She was grateful knowing that despite all the things going on right now that he'd go out of his way to make sure she had something nice to come home to, but it was difficult for her to muster up even half a smile.

"What are you waiting for?" Kain asked.

"I've got a lot on my mind right now," Canti answered, not really wanting to go into all the things in the back of her mind. She couldn't help but let her mind go through what she told her friends back in the hospital, and recount Hikari's look of absolute desperation. She was horrified to hear those things. Was Canti really the only one to put things together? Certainly her friends were smart enough to figure it out! "I'm sorry, cousin, I-"

"You don't need to explain anything to me. We've... _you've_ been through so much."

"You had it right the first time," she said as she reached over to place her other hand on his shoulder. " _We_ both have been through a lot."

"I still feel it sometimes," Kain muttered. "The... electricity that ran along my nerves, similar yet so different from the usual sparks that keep us moving."

She couldn't handle him going into that. She wasn't ready to talk about that. So instead of hesitating further, she turned the knob to open the door and stepped into her new room. Canti stepped into it, noticing that many of her things from her old room were here, too. The baskets she hung up on the wall, the hammock full of most of her plush toys accumulated over the years, her bed was the same size and almost made up the same way. "Hey," she said. "It really isn't that different from the old place, huh?"

"I want you to be as home here at the Manor as I am," Kain said. "So I went and collected things that I could, and..."

"But shouldn't you have been in recovery?"

"Yeah, but I can't stand being in bed all the time," he answered. "I hate that. Have to keep moving. Keep the... thoughts of out of my head..."

She gasped as she turned to face him, suddenly clinging to him with all her might. "No, no, I understand. I- I really do..." Tears streamed down her face, landing on his shoulders.

"I won't let anyone else hurt you," Kain said, returning the affection. He put his forehead against hers. "They can sear my insides with magic all they like, I'll take it. I'll endure anything for you."

"Don't feel responsible for me," she said quietly.

"But I have to. That's my role now," he replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not going to be the Grand Dragoon. I don't want to be Leviathan's puppet like my father was. There's... more to life than just keeping the peace."

"...won't the system come crumbling down if-"

" _Let_ it." He pulled back enough so he could wipe the tears from her eyes. "When you were gone, all I could think of was you. All I wanted was to have you near me again. My instincts tell me that I should use all my power to protect you. I love you, Canti."

"Kain..."

"I realize you might have someone else by now, and I accept that if you do. I'll be at your side even if you do."

She shook her head. "I know someone that has a crush, but... no, I'm not interested in anyone." Canti bit her lip as she realized that he might take that the wrong way. " _Else_ , I mean. Anyone else."

"If you don't love me, just say so. I won't be mad about it."

"It's almost like you don't want me to."

"It's easy to be intimidated by something like love," he whispered.

She shook her head. "At least I know that if I'm intimidated by it, I'll have you here to make me feel that much safer."

He chuckled. He always did have an appreciation for her sense of humor. Must have been all that time living with Cid - his father wasn't the type to laugh about much of anything, even if things were actually funny. His mother tried to bring a smile to his father's face many times over the years, but as time went along, she stopped bothering with it. It made her grow that much more distant from him. Kain decided that he would much rather be laughing in life and enjoying himself, than not. "You will," he said to reassure her.

Canti stepped away for a moment. "I know there's going to be a lot to adjust to now," she said quietly. "Life isn't going to be the same."

"You don't have anything to be afraid of."

"I'm not afraid," she said, walking over to see that the bookshelf Cid built for her all on his own was there. She found it odd that every single book was put in the exact order she kept them in. "Kain, I don't think even you payed attention to every single detail in my room to know the exact way I organized my books."

"I didn't. I just put the books on the shelf. I just wanted to make sure everything was there."

"But how would you have known the way that I sorted them?" she asked. "These are in my exact order. Did Papa help you with this?"

"No."

She blinked as she stared at it. "That doesn't make any sense at all," she insisted.

"Isn't it a good thing that your books are in the order you prefer them to be?" Kain asked. "This means you don't have to reorder them yourself. It saves you time."

"The chances of you managing to organize my bookshelf in the exact way that I had it back home are so high... You didn't spend a lot of time in my room," Canti said, putting her hands on the heavy black cover of her favorite Choose-Your-Own adventure book, Undertale. She pulled it out, and as she opened it, the book let out a little crack the same way it always had when she read it before. She turned a few sheets to find a stain on the title page. The last time she read it, she was eating dragon meat pizza. This was her book, yes. But why did it feel so out of place?

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She put the book back. "A lot of things."

"Tell me about them so I can-"

"You can't do anything about this," she said. "And if I'm perfectly honest, I'd rather you not get hurt at all, Kain."

Kain went back to the door and closed it before looking back at her. He was grateful now more than ever that none of the house staff were around, which meant that upstairs they had utmost privacy. "Canti, can you really keep me from hurting when I am acting as the wall between you and the world?" he asked as he came to her side. They both sat on the edge of her bed. "Your father told me that I should break away from being the Grand Dragoon because he knew the weight of that position drove my father to becoming little more than Leviathan's errand boy. I don't care if I was being raised to fill that position. I will help you accomplish whatever it is that you set out to do. I don't care what it is. I will help you. Break every law this land has, and I will defend you as you do it."

"K-Kain... I... I can't let you..."

"Tell me what's on your mind. _Please_."

She sighed, looking away from him. "We're going past the barrier," she whispered. "We're going to the land outside."

"All right. We're going to the land outside, but if I may be allowed to inquire... why?"

"What little I remember about the things that happened with the Senator," she started to explain, "He wanted to break the barrier and go outside. That he had seen in his dreams a land that glittered of gold wherein he was the Emperor, and he knew that it existed. He was convinced it was real, even more real than this world. Uncle Richard went to stop him because all of the Warriors of the Water defend us from the evil that lurks out there." She took in a deep breath, looking around her room at other things she was sure wouldn't have survived a house invasion, knowing that something was off. There was a glass Mysidian Rabbit on one of the bookshelves. That thing was so fragile that if it was ever toppled, it would shatter. It was one of those things she was never allowed to play with because of that. How did that survive being knocked over?

"Yes. I had been training for that exact purpose."

"I've had dreams of the outside. Places that I know I've been. Things I know that I've done. My body remembers it all."

"Mmm. As have I," Kain confessed.

"I was older, oddly enough, but... that doesn't matter," she said, shrugging. "The point is, the world outside holds all my answers. Why I wasn't given a purpose to study for at Garden. Why I have to know Ancient Mysidian, why I have to study how to use Bard songs even if I find it frivolous and pointless in the effort to protect the people around me... I'm tired of just following directions. I need to know."

"Understood."

"...I don't want you to just blindly follow me. You followed your father your entire life, and I know you're looking for your own answers, but-"

Kain put his hand up for a moment and chuckled again. "Allowing myself to love you the way I do is the first decision I've ever made myself," he said, reaching over to ruffle her curly blue hair. "I've always envied you and your way of being able to be outside the box that continuing the legacy held me in my whole life."

"All I've ever wanted was to be a part of something," she said, leaning into him.

"You are now," he replied softly, using one of his arms to wrap around her.

"Thank you," she said as she nestled her head into his shoulder. Kain noticed how tired she was, so he moved just a bit so her head landed in his lap. She yawned and adjusted the glasses on her nose. "Hey. What are you-"

"You want to lie down."

"No, I don't," she said.

"I heard you yawn."

"Kain..."

"...what?"

She looked up at him, staring into his wonderfully deep blue eyes. How, when he leaned over to look into her eyes, his face was framed by his falling blonde hair that he usually kept in a ponytail. It was something she'd seen before. "You're so beautiful."

"You are more beautiful than I."

"Hardly," Canti said. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can."

"You say you love me."

"I do."

"In a way that isn't just between family."

"...I do."

"When we're adults, would you want to marry me?"

He blushed profusely. "I-if y-y-you'd have me! O-of course I would!"

She giggled just a bit, reaching up to cup her hand around her face. "Now that I know how that's going to work, I don't have to be scared of it."

"You were afraid to get married?"

"Yes... didn't you say something to the man that tortured us, how I was engaged to someone?"

"Oh that. Right." Kain nodded. "I did kind of force someone to accept your hand, but he doesn't want to get married anyway. It was before I was able to accept my feelings for you. I needed to have you protected by someone I knew would take care of you. Someone that understood exactly how to handle you."

"...who did you force to accept being engaged to me?"

"Minwu. He's the closest person I have that could possibly regarded as a friend."

"Oh shut up. He IS your friend."

"But I know he doesn't want to get married or have children."

"Is that something you want?"

"What?"

"Children."

Kain felt heat rush through him upon hearing that. He bit his lip, trying not to think about it. How he could have had her against naked against him, caressing every inch of her skin, feeling their hearts beat together as they rode to the rythym of their bodies... he couldn't help but imagine what her moans sounded like, how the sounds of her sighs of relief would echo through his mind. "I wouldn't force the issue," he said. "But if you wanted children, I would be more than happy to start a family with you." He reached over to run his fingers through his hair, eventually deciding to lie down next to her.

"I don't," she muttered. "I don't want to be responsible for not messing up another human being. I don't even know who my birth parents are, or-"

"It doesn't matter who they are," Kain said sternly. "I'm glad they didn't want you."

"What?!"

"Because if they kept you, who knows if I'd even know you at all? They gave you up! They don't deserve you, Canti."

"Kain..."

"...I know it hurts to hear that. I don't know what it's like to be adopted, to go through the orphanage. I shouldn't have said that. Forgive me for being so harsh."

"No, no," she said, propping herself up on one of her arms. "Who needs a birth family that doesn't want me, when I have you and Papa Cid who do? Who needs..." Her eyes burned again and she took off her glasses despite not being able to see without them.

"Wait, no, I didn't mean to-" He sat back up. "Forgive me, I should have thought before speaking."

"...why didn't they want me?" she asked through her tears, falling against him in a desperate sob.

"I wish I had an answer, so I could tell them exactly why they were full of shit," Kain said, feeling his own tears form. "You are worth keeping, you are worth loving."

She cried into his chest, and he held onto her as he let his own silent tears fall.


	68. Chapter 67: A Peculiar Book

Project:RE

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. And chances are, neither do you.

Notes: I see that no one here gives a shit about this. Your not caring about this is exactly why I keep writing it. The moment fans like a story of mine, I absolutely can't work on it anymore. If you want me to stop, you should tell me how much you love it. 3

Warnings: ROFLMAO. All the usual warnings apply.

FIC START!

Cid stopped typing on the Sphere terminal's keyboard when he realized exactly how quiet it was through the house. He put down his files onto the nearby desk and stood up, looking through the gigantic halls of the Highwind Manor. The entire place felt empty. Now there weren't staff keeping things in order, or training services being held with the Warriors of the Water. There wasn't his straight-laced, stalwart, half-the-time heartless big brother giving orders and his dainty little wife to simply let him leading the place. Was that really supposed to fall to him now? Cid never particularly enjoyed living here when he was younger, when their father was in charge, and now all he could do was listen for the long forgotten echoes of those no longer alive. Suddenly he felt a tinge of fear that something had happened to the kids, so he began to race through all the rooms to look for them. Then he remembered that they had gone upstairs. So he headed up there, and he couldn't help but remember one time when he slid down the large banister as a child. He had a fantastic sense of balance and he made it all the way down without falling, which was impressive, but that didn't matter. He was grounded. And, he thought, it made sense that he'd be grounded for that, regardless of how graceful he was. How he proved that he was built for being a dragoon later in life. Cid went from the stairs through the hall, cracking each door just a little. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare them the way his father had gone out of his way to scare both of his sons. He hated that so much as a kid that it still bothered him even now. As he came closer to a door, he heard what sounded like crying. He put his hand on the knob and turned it just a tiny bit, enough to open the door enough to hear what was going on inside.

"You're safe," Kain's voice came through the door.

Cid listened a bit more, realizing that Canti was crying. He immediately wanted to rush in there to comfort her, but it seemed that Kain was all ready doing so. He pulled the door open further to see the scene clearly. Kain was holding her in a way that she was cradled against his side, his arm wrapped around her. Cid started to walk in, and Kain turned his head just a bit. They locked eyes for a moment, sharing an expression of understanding. It didn't surprise him that she went to Kain. Leviathan did mention those two would grow closer and probably wish for a relationship that Richard highly disapproved of. He only nodded before stepping away. The experience they shared only brought them closer. He couldn't help but wonder if that was preordained. Seemed off that Leviathan would hint at it, and then circumstances brought it forth. He headed back downstairs slowly, taking his time with every step. That's when he heard the sound from the Sphere go off - someone was calling.

He pressed the key to accept the call. "Highwind Manor," Cid said clearly, waiting for the screen to catch up.

"How is everything?"

"Sir, things are going along well, considering," Cid answered. Finally the screen revealed Leviathan there. He knew the Headmaster's voice well.

"I'm assuming that those two are further inseperable than they were before," Leviathan said.

"You'd be assuming right."

"Good. Don't get between them. They both need it."

"I can see that, sir."

"Fantastic! Now, on to what I need you to do, now that things are heading back to normal," Leviathan cleared his throat. "In the files I gave you the last time we spoke, there's a few things I need you to look into. Once that's taken care of, the Warriors of the Water can rebuild."

"Er. With all due respect, Leviathan, may I speak freely?"

"Of course you can."

"Sir, I- I don't mean to be rude, but..."

"Speak up. I would hear of your concerns."

Cid sighed. He hestitated, rubbing his fingers against his temples, trying to gather his willpower. "I don't want to hold my brother's position," he stated honestly. His heart started to race, and suddenly he was craving his cigarettes. He hadn't had one in what felt like far too long. "I'm not prepared to be the Grand Dragoon. I don't have the same way of thinking that he does. Richard was a rigid man, sticking constantly to routine, and he knew no other way. If you want another Grand Dragoon, sir, I wouldn't take offense at all. Just... don't come looking for it here."

Leviathan's face begin to twitch. Cid couldn't tell if he was angry or surprised by his confession. A few moments later, the eidolon nodded and bit his lip. "Okay," he said. "I understand. You'll be getting your discharge papers by the end of the day. Stay home so you can accept them."

"Are you sure about this?" Cid asked curiously.

"You don't have to worry about anything, Cid. Concentrate on what's important to you," Leviathan said. "We'll be in touch. You are, after all, raising my pet project."

Cid felt sweat drip down the side of his neck. The rage built within him as he thought of that. But the last thing he needed to do was piss off the man in charge of running the entire country. Never once had he ever considered thinking about beating any government official until they were near death - not until Senator Palamecia decided to publicly execute his older brother recently anyhow - but just hearing that his daughter was some 'pet project' like that disgusted him to his very core. How could he say that about a person, especially his only daughter?

"I'll leave you be, then," Leviathan snapped, ending the call promptly.

"Fuck you," Cid grunted, wishing he could say it to him to his face. He turned away from the Sphere and headed towards the kitchen. When was the last time he bothered cooking anything?

* * *

Leviathan crossed his arms. How dare he say that? This was his pocket dimension! He had complete control over how everything worked here - and it was all a finely functioning machine. He had built it all carefully, piece by piece. Each turning gear linked to some other turning gear, keeping the whole place alive. This would not do. He needed the Warriors of the Water. He needed to keep feeding the people the news that the world outside the barrier was a dangerous, darkness ridden place. Keep them all training, keep them all prepared for the eventual attack, all while allowing Canti to grow up knowing love well enough so that she could command the powers of light and be of stable mind when she awoke... He turned away from his Sphere and pressed a button on his desk. A silent siren began to flash before three figures cloaked in nothing but ninja gear appeared before him.

"I need you to be delicate on this one," Leviathan barked. The graceful features of his face began to gave way to a frustrated, tense demeanor. The fact that the senators in here were even rebelling against him was enough, but to have someone so close to the project's core speaking against him like this was not going to fly. "If you kill this man, you may cause this entire world to end."

"How does that make any sense?" a ninja asked, rolling his eyes.

"You will not backtalk, Edge!" Leviathan yelled, slamming his hands against his desk. "I will see your wife drawn and quartered to set an example if you continue this attitude!"

This caused the ninja to step back. He had never seen the Headmaster so angry before.

"You wish the target delivered alive," another ninja answered, much more seriously in a hushed tone. "This can be done."

"Thank you, Shadow," the eidolon said. "Bring to me Cid Highwind. Unharmed."

"What of his daughter?" the third asked.

"If one hair on her head comes to harm, all three of you will be relocated to Fisherman's Horizon." All three of them flinched. They understood exactly what this implied.

"But won't she get upset if her father goes missing? There was all that going on regarding her uncle and-"

"Amarant, rest assured. She will be fine," Leviathan insisted. "Just bring him to me."

"Yes, sir!" the three ninjas gave a salute, and they all vanished with a sudden breeze that knocked papers all over Leviathan's office.

"I will not tolerate insubordination when I am banking on a certain mission," Leviathan said as he turned back to his Sphere. He keyed in a few numbers to bring up a few files digitally and compared them with the ones he had on his desk.

* * *

Mateus walked through his family's grand mansion, staring at all the frivolous things his mother had spent money on when he was a child. Decorations and extremely odd things, things that no other person would ever take interest in. He remembered his mother, a short figure with sun-kissed skin and get black hair named Airu, being a strange woman that not even his father completely understood. Not that his father was the type to try to understand anyone - the man had no heart to attempt at doing so. Now that both of his parents were presumably dead, the responsibility of maintaining the Palamecian Monster Farm fell onto his shoulders. The task of ascending to the rank of senator did not interest him, either. He stopped in his father's study, looking around at the shelves full of books that the man would stop to read any time he was free. These texts mattered more to him than any member of the family staff or the family for that matter. He noticed the book that lay on his desk - the last book that Matteo had looked through before he executed that horrid plan.

He picked it up and opened it. It was a text on magical symbols and diagrams, written in a language Mateus could not read. As he turned the pages, he found a slip of paper.

 _Achieve your dreams, my son,_ Mateus read it. _May this forbidden book assist you in this endeavor._

He flicked the paper away and turned further into the pages of the book. "...oh... this book belongs to the Wu family, now, doesn't it? This was one of the confiscated texts that was taken when they raided the house. Now, exactly what would my father have this for?"

He carried the book over to the crushed velvet chair large enough to be a throne to rule an entire empire from. He propped his feet up the way he remembered seeing his father do several times in the past and began to study it curiously. Even though he could not read it, the diagrams and symbols were absolutely fascinating. Whatever it was that those outcasts were up to must have been similar to what his father was doing.

And then, another piece of paper slipped out, in someone else's handwriting.

 _Why have you done this to me? It's like you've become a completely different person. When I first met you, I liked you a lot. I kept a friendship with you despite my father's concerns about it. Now you're convinced I'm going to be your bride and take you to a land beyond the barrier where you will rule? What does that even mean? Mateus, I pray you snap out of it before something bad happens. You've damn near killed Kain, you've beat me mercilessly because you believe it will train me to be obedient to you. You may never find this note I write as I pretend to be translating this book you've stolen from my classmate Minwu, and that's fine. I don't hate the Mateus that sang in chorus with me and shared an assignment with me. I don't hate the Mateus that secretly sent me a purple rose when I was sick. I don't hate the Mateus that came to my blessing ceremony, and brought with him the biggest, most delicious cake I've ever had in my life. I loved him. I could have easily been his girlfriend, even in secret from my family. I could have grown to be his bride. But the way you are now, how could I ever consider that? How could I_

He blinked as he read it multiple times. He flipped it over to see if it continued on the other side, and he went through the pages quickly to see if there was more to that letter. He recognized the handwriting with no problem, as he had shared Chorus with Canti a few years in a row. He had seen her write original lyrics for presentations. This didn't match the events that he remembered or the ones that were discussed by the country at large. She had been hurt extremely, enough to sustain a nasty head injury, by his father. Mateus was tending to the Monster Farm the day this was all happening. He had been visited by that suspicious classmate of his, Ffamran Bunansa, coming to look for a Queen Malboro. He remembered thinking of Canti and wondering how she was doing as he told truck drivers to deliver the gyshal greens to the chocobo stables, and the scholars came to check on the Schizo creature that the Highwind Brothers captured and brought to the farm a while back. Mateus was far away from the Sphere and had no idea about the assult on the government, the murder of the Grand Dragoon, the battle that took place in Fisherman's Horizon until far after it all happened.

He went back to his own personal room to pull out a Moogle Flute from his nightstand and began to pen a letter.


End file.
